Through the Dream Light of Your Way
by PennyInLove
Summary: Benny doesn't get shy around girls. That is until the new girl, Fayette, shows up. She seems perfect for him, but she's also hiding something. While Ethan and Sarah try to help Benny find out who she really is, feelings seem to grow. Benny/OC, Ethan/Sarah
1. Chapter 1 I've Just Seen A Face

Benny Weir stood at his best friend's locker, staring down the hall towards the girl he'd tried all week to talk to. Granted, she'd only been there for a week, but Benny was on a mission to successfully say at least two words to the girl. He hoped the words he managed to get out would be "I'm Benny." Beggars couldn't be choosers, though.

Earlier in the week, during a class discussion on science, one of the lesser minds tried pointing out that taking science would never benefit him. Fayette, having not yet spoken in the class she'd been in for a few days, decided to have her say on the matter. "You do realize you use science every day? The fact that you're sitting here in your seat and not floating around the room: gravity. The fact that you're breathing and your heart is beating and the blood is flowing through your veins and words are coming out of your mouth should be miracle enough. And judging by your Natalie Portman obsession as seen on every one of your binders, I'm guessing you've seen her vast collection of works. Which would include Star Wars, one of the biggest science fiction sagas to come out of the last century. Trust me, you need science." The class was stunned silent, then the teacher had the good grace to continue on about something else.

After that moment, Benny just knew he couldn't let this one go. She made a Star Wars reference. She called out a football player for being a moron. She liked science. And most importantly, she didn't care one bit. And Benny fully appreciated her feistiness and bravery.

Today, she wore a white dress, and a daisy in her hair. Normally, anyone would see her and not care. She was that girl that came to school, dressed up everyday, even though it was just school.

In fact, it was as if she looked forward to school. Looked forward to dressing up, and putting a flower in her hair. She carried her books around, smiling for no particular reason, and almost skipped as she walked with her head held high. That was Fayette.

At least, that's what Benny knew about her. That she came to school, everyday for the past week, in a girly dress and a flower in her pixie cut brown hair. That she was new here, and had no friends yet, but she wasn't bothered. That she had a mind and was NOT afraid to use it. That Benny wanted nothing more than to talk to her, but she was the only girl he was genuinely afraid of being rejected by.

"Ethan. We have a problem." Benny leaned against a locker adjacent to Ethan's, not tearing his eyes away from Fayette as she stood at her locker down the hall.

"We seem to always have a problem. But what is it this time?" Ethan asked, grabbing his books he needed for the day.

"It's a girl problem."

Ethan eyed Benny, not sure what to make of this. "It's that new girl, isn't it?"

Benny shot a look at Ethan. "How did you know?"

"You couldn't be more obvious," said Sarah, joining the two, leaning against the wall beside the boys.

"Oh, gosh. Even Sarah knows. Maybe Fayette knows, too." Benny gulped, most of the color draining from his face.

Sarah couldn't help but grin, tousling Benny's already messy black hair. "I think it's almost cute how flustered you're getting over her. At least she's pretty. And she seems nice," she said, glancing over at Fayette.

"How does a girl seem nice?" Benny asked, unconcerned about his hair.

Just at that precise moment in the hall, Erica walked by Rory as he shouted at her, "Hey, beautiful!"

"Bite me." She retorted, not even looking at him as she walked past. "No, I didn't mean that literally!" As if she just knew what Rory was thinking.

Benny turned to Sarah and Ethan. "Okay, point made. Fayette does seem nice. Angelic, almost."

"Well, here comes your angel now, Benny Rabbit." Sarah cooed, dragging Ethan away as Fayette closed her locker and started towards where they stood.

Benny tried to make a quick escape, but upon turning around, he ran into an open locker door. Sharp pain hit his forehead, and he felt himself collapsing. Light arms caught him before he hit the ground.

"Oh, no. Are you all right?" Benny looked right into the eyes of his savior. They were bright green, and crinkled in an expression of worry. As fate would have it, it was Fayette.

"I, um..." Benny paused, not only embarrassed, but stricken by this beautiful girl and her arms supporting him. "Hi." Benny finally said.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "Do you think you can stand?"

"Is it really that bad?"

"Well, you've got a little bit of a bump there. And the person with their locker open didn't bother apologizing, so I suppose it's your life in my hands now. I can take you to the nurse if I need to."

"Will you hold my hand the whole way there?" Benny grinned.

Fayette laughed, realizing this boy was milking his tiny injury for all it was worth. "Of course. I'm Fayette, by the way." She said, helping him up gently.

"I'm Benny... We have a class together." Benny almost turned away in shame. 'Really? That is the best you could do?' He thought.

Fayette smiled regardless, trying to keep him steady, holding his hand like she said she would. "Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Benny. Although, I think I would've preferred under better circumstances."

The bell rang for class, but Fayette wouldn't leave Benny until she knew he was all right. Grasping her books in one hand, and his hand in her other, she couldn't help but feel a little giddy. Benny slung his backpack around his shoulder, holding Fayette's hand tightly and proudly. He passed by a shocked Sarah and Ethan, winking at the two as they left for their classes.

"So, where is the nurse's office?" Fayette said sheepishly moments later.

"Oh, right, you're new. Um, I think it's down by the art room." Fayette looked at him, as if she didn't know where that was, either. "Don't worry, I'll lead the way. Anyway, aren't you concerned with being late, Miss Fayette?"

"Not at all. I think there might be some leniency, since I'm new and all." She grinned, putting on her best scared voice and continued, "'Oh, Mrs. Perkins, I'm sorry. I just got lost. This school is so big and scary. It won't happen again.'"

"Very convincing. You almost fooled me for a minute."

They turned down the next hallway, still hand in hand, approaching the nurse's office. Benny snuck a glance at Fayette, smiling widely.

"So I was in class during your science spiel," Benny said.

Fayette grimaced. "Oh, yeah. Not one of my proudest moments. I got a little bit angry on that poor guy."

"No, no. Honestly, he's not the brightest lightsaber in the shed, if you know what I mean."

"Is that even a phrase?" Fayette laughed, stopping in front of the nurse's office doorway.

"It is now. Feel free to use it." Benny stood facing her now, their hands having let go of each other.

"Will you be all right?" she asked, biting her lip and furrowing her brow.

'This girl really seems worried about my well-being,' Benny thought. At that, he couldn't help but smile again. "I think I may live to see another day. I don't think I thanked you properly though. How about...uh..." He faltered, nervous again.

'Oh man, how do I ask her out? She just walked me to the nurse's office, holding my hand, and talked to me for at least five minutes. Where do I go from here?' He thought.

"Thank you. I'll see you around." He panicked and just walked into the open doorway without another word.

Fayette stood there, a little deflated. "Yeah, sure. No problem," she said to no one in particular.

She began walking off to her class, a little confused as to how he could be talking to her so normally one minute, and then not knowing what to say the next. 

* * *

><p>"So?" Sarah asked Benny inquisitively at lunch, as if the one word would prompt him to know exactly what she meant.<p>

"So...what?" Benny said, sitting down beside Ethan at the table as Sarah stood over them. She never usually sat with them. She was still too cool, and well, a vampire.

"SO! Fayette!" She whispered excitedly. "Ethan and I saw you. You know, holding hands." She grinned impishly.

"You are too happy about this," Ethan said suspiciously.

"What can I say, it's like watching my little brother grow up before my eyes. Except, don't tell anyone I compared you to a little brother. But come on, details!"

Benny put a spoonful of jello in his mouth, trying to avoid having to explain to the two how he royally messed up a chance with Fayette after five minutes.

"Okay, even I'm curious at this point," Ethan admitted.

Benny shrugged, and Sarah's eyes widened. "Oh no. You're stalling."

"Well, okay. Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Okay?"

"Please learn a new word," Ethan said.

"Shh! He's gonna tell us!" At this, Sarah sat down across from them, crossing her hands in her lap, paying close attention.

"The basic story is, I turned around after the two of you so kindly left me hanging, and ran into a locker door. She hurried towards me, offered to take me to the nurse's. I convinced her to hold my hand the whole way-"

"Nice move," Ethan interrupted.

"Yes." Benny high fived his friend, then continued grimly, "But, we talked for a few minutes until we got to the nurse's, and then once we got there, I blanked. So I left without saying anything."

"WHAT!" Sarah shouted, causing everyone in the lunch room to look at her. "Sorry," she said, looking around.

Bringing her voice down a bit, she turned back to Benny and continued, "Why would you do that? Now she's gonna think you don't like her."

"She is?" Benny's face fell.

"Yeah! You should've offered to take her out to coffee for thanks or something. I don't know. Anything but the cold shoulder!"

"I'd say it was more a lukewarm shoulder... But I don't even drink coffee!"

"Fine, you could've taken her for chocolate milk for all I care. You've got to find her, say you had a moment of temporary insanity, and then woo her!"

"Sarah just said 'woo'." Ethan giggled.

"You're right." Benny stood up, abandoning his lunch, and walked right out of the lunch room.

"He better not make a habit of not saying thank you to girls. That's twice in one day!" Sarah shook her head, then turned to Ethan and said, "Well, I hate to leave you by yourself, but I've gotta go find Erica. She said something earlier about a sale down at the shoe store. I am NOT missing out on that. See ya!"

She left her chair and walked off, leaving Ethan to eat lunch by himself. "Don't mind me." He spoke out loud, just to have a kid at the next table give him a weird look.

Meanwhile, Benny was on the search for Fayette, yet he had no idea where he could find her. Then, the thought struck him, he'd be seeing her later in the day for science anyway. There he could make amends, and maybe also make a date, and then all would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2 Met This Girl

Benny walked into science, hoping Fayette would be there before the bell rang. He was one of the first to class, so he sat in his seat, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Waiting for everyone else to join seemed to take forever, and to his disappointment, none were Fayette.

'Maybe she's running late,' Benny thought. Hoped, more than anything. 'Or maybe she's not coming to class. OR MAYBE she's somehow been captured by ninjas. Ninja vampires. Ninja vampire aliens. Ninja vampire alien mermaids-'

"Benjamin Weir?" the teacher said, interrupting Benny's thought process.

Benny shot out of his seat, proclaiming. "It wasn't me, I swear!"

Mr. Roberts peered at Benny through his glasses, and said, "I was calling roll. If you want to take a seat now, Mr. Weir, I'm going to begin class."

The class laughed as Benny inched into his seat, noting that this was the second time today he managed to make an utter fool of himself. At least this time Fayette wasn't here to witness it.

'Right, Fayette isn't here,' Benny found himself thinking again. He placed his head in his hands, not so gently, and the bump from the morning locker incident caused him to grimace in pain. 'I wonder if she's avoiding me. However, the ninja vampire aliens thing is completely plausible. This school _does_ experience some freaky stuff.'

* * *

><p>After science, Benny went to find Ethan at his locker, when Rory approached him out of almost nowhere. "Benny, my man!" Rory exclaimed, looking for a high five.<p>

Benny grabbed Rory by the shoulders and moved him aside. "Not now. I'm on a mission."

Rory, unfazed by Benny leaving him hanging, perked up at the idea of a mission. "THAT I could happily help you with. What kind of mission is this? Covert ops? Treasure hunt? Tinkle break?"

"Tinkle break? Really?" Benny started walking away from the conversation, but Rory followed.

"Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. You're also forgetting that I'm a vampire. I might be useful to your mission."

Benny stopped in front of Rory, speaking in hushed tones "Wow, be a bit louder about your condition. I'm not sure the citizens of Japan quite heard you." Resuming his normal speech, he continued, "And for this kind of mission, trust me, you will be of little assistance."

Benny clapped Rory on the shoulder and continued walking off, in search of his best friend. Upon cutting around the corner, he was convinced he saw Fayette standing by the doors leading outside, but a hulking student blocked his view. By the time the guy moved, Benny saw neither hide nor hair of Fayette, if she even stood there at all. "Thank you, man-child!" Benny shouted after the guy, who had long since left.

"Hey, Benny!" Ethan shouted down the hall, closing his locker door.

Benny approached him cautiously, knowing the trickiness of locker doors and their magnetism to his cranium. "She wasn't in science, if that's what you were wondering."

"Um, yeah. That's what I was wondering..." Ethan said untruthfully. "Also, I had a question for you. Do you know anything about that dance next Saturday?"

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" Benny grinned, doing his best to moonwalk.

Ethan shook his head, watching his friend and his pathetic attempt to dance. "All right, you're gonna run into that open locker behind you if you're not careful."

Benny swung around in full force, and as his luck would have it, hit the locker door. Seeing stars, he held onto the second bump forming on his head and yelled, "Seriously! What is it with you people not closing your lockers?"

"Can't say I didn't warn you," Benny heard Ethan's voice say.

Eyes still closed from the pain, he reached out for Ethan, or really anything to hold onto. A hand enclosed around his, and he remarked, "Ethan, don't take offense to this, but your hands are kind of girly. But surprisingly soft."

"Don't worry, I'm not offended," A female voice answered. "However, I'm beginning to think locker doors have a vendetta with your head."

Already Benny recognized that voice, and suddenly having her hand around his made him feel a lot more relieved.


	3. Chapter 3 No Idea

"Fayette. You little sneak," Benny teased, unable to control that wide smile of his. Daring to open his eyes, Benny grasped Fayette's hand tightly as a sharp pain, caused by the light, hit his temple.

"Ouch, you're going to have some battle scars there, sir." With the hand that wasn't holding Benny's, she grazed the second bump on his forehead gently.

Benny, painful though having his eyes open was, couldn't help but gaze upon her features. That soft, oval face, in an expression of worry. Those rosy cheeks upon her pale skin. Those leaf-green eyes creasing from concern. Her long eyelashes. The way her daisy was tucked right above her ear into her short, honey brown hair. How she bit her lip when she felt apprehensive about something.

"Benny?" Fayette said uncertainly. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, no. Sorry. Distracted by your beauty," he tried to respond suavely.

Fayette smiled. "Smooth operator. I was saying I feel as if I should ask you a question, make sure your head isn't too damaged. Ready?"

"Aye aye, Captain Fayette." He was regaining his confidence, despite feeling as though he could lose his balance at any moment.

"Right, sailor. First, your name."

"Benny Weir."

"I trust you on that one. Next question, how many fingers am I holding up?"

She held up one, but Benny decided to joke. "Three."

Fayette gasped. "Oh, no. You're seeing triple?"

"It's all right. I enjoy the view of three Fayettes quite a bit," Benny bantered, flashing her his biggest smile.

Fayette suppressed a grin, replying, "All right, I think you are doing _just_ fine. Just go home, make sure to hold a cold compress to those bumps, and hopefully that cute little face of yours will be in shape tomorrow. If not, you could always pretend you're Worf." She winked, and started to walk away.

"She just made a Star Trek reference," Ethan said. In all honesty, Benny had forgotten his friend was there the whole time. He had been so distracted by Fayette, and Ethan hadn't said a single word.

"I realize that. The locker doors didn't kill my nerd-ocity."

"So, why are you letting her go?"

Benny looked to his friend, then back to where Fayette was leaving. "No idea."

As Benny ran towards Fayette, Sarah joined up with Ethan. "Funny how it took two knocks against it, but I think that boy is about to get his head right finally," she laughed.

Ethan just shook his head, as he and Sarah left in the opposite direction down the hall.

"Fayette, wait up," Benny said, clutching his head. "Don't you think you should maybe walk me home? Make sure I don't, I don't know...faint or die along the way?"

She observed him for a moment, sure that this was a ruse. However, she found something charming about him, clumsy though he was. She also couldn't deny how attractive she found him, with that wide boyish grin, that tousled hair, and those brownish-green eyes.

"Fine," Fayette answered. "I can't keep being your guardian angel, though." She smiled, letting him walk beside her.

They continued walking for quite some time, and it struck Benny yet again that he did not know where to go from here. 'Okay, Benny, you can do this. You've managed to get her to walk you home... When did I become the girl in this situation?' he thought. 'Speak words. Speak them now. You're just walking beside her, in silence. This has _got_ to be awkward. What am I doing? I'm just walking and smiling. WHO DOES THAT? She's gonna think I'm insane...'

"Having a nice internal monologue?" Fayette asked, glancing at Benny with a smirk.

"What?" Benny said with a start.

"Well, you haven't said a word to me since we left the school. And it just appeared as though you were having an inner battle with your thoughts. You should see your face when you're thinking instead of speaking. The emotions across your face, it's like watching a one-man silent play."

"So that whole time, you chose to watch me struggle?" Benny put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt."

"Let me know when you're _not_ hurt. Pain seems to be the norm for you."

Benny laughed, "Oh, you know a guy for a day and assume he's a glutton for pain. At least wait until tomorrow to decide who I am."

"But tomorrow's Saturday, I won't be seeing you," she pointed out.

"Oh man, Ethan was trying to ask me something about the dance next Saturday before my face so smoothly reacquainted itself with a locker door," Benny remembered. "And hey, you weren't in science today. Why is that?"

Fayette looked confused for a moment, then smiled. "Oh, right. I wasn't in science. That's because the principal called me to the office. Apparently he tries to meet all the new students, I don't know."

"Sounds exciting. So where do you live exactly? Because I'm just right across that street, once you take a right."

"I live near the forest."

"The forest?"

"Yes. You know, where the trees congregate to form a home for small, woodland creatures."

"I know what a forest is. It just seemed like an unlikely place for you to live."

"I'm more suburbia, huh?" Fayette asked.

"No, more like from the heavens." Benny winked, causing Fayette to giggle.

"Oh, I feel like I walked right into that one. All right, Benny, you get home safe now. You don't know how many locker doors may be lurking around your house." She touched her thumb to her nose, and started to leave him to head for her house.

"Hey, thank you," Benny said, trying to sum up his gratitude for the day.

She wheeled around and saluted him, not stopping mid-stroll.

Benny watched the girl in the white dress with the daisy in her hair walk away, and he felt that maybe he should've said or done more.


	4. Chapter 4 The Way You Make Me Feel

"Fayette!" Benny called after her.

She spun around slowly, waiting for him to catch up with her. "Forget where you live already?"

"Actually, I was wondering... Um." Benny gulped, not only trying to catch his breath, but let his mind catch up with his mouth. "I want to thank you. Properly. Would you want to go for coffee tomorrow?"

"I don't drink coffee," she said remorsefully.

"Neither do I," Benny laughed.

"Awesome. Coffee it is," she said, perking up. "Where's your phone?"

"Why?"

"I'm going to steal it." Fayette stated seriously. Upon Benny's confused expression, she smiled and added, "I want to give you my number so you know how to reach me."

Benny pulled his phone out of his back pocket, feeling a bit like a loser for not realizing sooner that's what she meant to do.

She typed into his phone, then gave it back to him saying, "Just call me tomorrow whenever you want to go get caffeinated."

As she left, Benny went into his contacts on his phone. He chuckled to himself when he realized that she didn't put her name. Instead, she set it as "The number to Heaven".

* * *

><p>"She gave you her phone number, and you're going on a date tomorrow?" Ethan asked incredulously, sitting at his computer chair and staring at Benny with his jaw dropped.<p>

After Fayette walked Benny midway to his house, he decided to make a detour to Ethan's instead. This news was too good not to share.

"I know! I feel like such a Casanova," Benny said, sprawled across Ethan's bed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. She's one girl, and this is one date."

"All right, so maybe I feel like a bit of studmuffin. Happy?"

"You're probably more like a crumb from a studmuffin."

"Hey, killer of buzzes, let me be. Anyway, earlier what did you wanna ask me about the dance next Saturday?"

Ethan spun in his chair, forgetting he ever asked that. "Right. I heard that there's a raffle and the winner gets a massive cash prize. But the raffle tickets are like, ten bucks, and I wondered if you wanted to go halfsies."

Benny sat up, disbelief spread across his face. "Seriously? All that build up for money? Fine, we'll split it. But if we win, we split the cash prize, too. 70/30."

Ethan was about to protest when a faint knock issued from his door. "Hey there, gents," said Sarah, peeking her head in. "Ethan, your parents just left for their date. Jane and I are downstairs about to make cupcakes. You two wanna join or are you too busy painting each other's nails?"

"Ha ha. Actually, Ethan and I were just discussing the date I have tomorrow with a certain maiden from school," Benny bragged.

"You're kidding!" Sarah said, stepping into the room. "How did this happen?"

"I wooed her, like you suggested." Benny puffed out his chest proudly.

"Have you learned nothing from me? I want details!"

Benny explained to Sarah what transpired since he last spoke to her at lunch. Ethan tried to interrupt at least five times, and Sarah shushed him profusely. By the end of the story, Sarah said, "She really put her number in your phone?"

"Here's the proof," Benny affirmed, showing her his list of contacts.

Sarah peered at the screen, then crossed her arms. "That's cute. 'The number to Heaven'. So what are you going to do tomorrow, since you both don't drink coffee?"

Benny's smile faded. "Oh no. I don't even have a plan. Sarah, why do you point out all my mistakes?"

"Hey, somebody has to, and if you'd prefer I don't help you at all..." She made like she was going to leave the room, and Benny stood up to stop her.

"Oh, glorious Queen of Dating, what would you suggest I do?" Benny pleaded, getting down on his knees and grabbing Sarah's hand.

"Okay, I'll help. But you owe me."

"Anything. I could look through my Spell Book for something if you need it."

"I mean you owe me one of these days. Just remember that. Anyway, you can get back up now. Ethan, go downstairs and let Jane know it'll be a minute before we make those cupcakes."

Ethan groaned and left his computer chair, leaving Sarah and Benny to discuss Saturday's plans, and how Benny would impress Fayette.


	5. Chapter 5 Getting Away

Benny called Fayette the next day at noon, setting a date for later that night.

Sarah's advice the previous night rang through his head as he waited for Fayette to answer her phone. "Remember, keep the phone call short enough to make the date. You'll do all your talking while you're _on_ the actual date. And don't tell her the plans. Surprise her. Just have her meet you somewhere."

"Hello?" Fayette's voice answered.

"Hi. It's Benny."

"Hey, soldier. How are the wounds?"

"I almost thought I wouldn't make it through the night. How Harry Potter did it, I'll never know."

"Well, his was also a scar. Girls dig scars more than bumps." He heard the smile in her voice.

"That explains it all. Anyway, I was hoping maybe we could meet at the park around five o'clock. Then we could go from there."

"Go where from there?"

"You'll just have to meet me at the park then and see. See you there?"

"Are you planning on kidnapping me?"

"It's not kidnapping if you agree to go with me."

"Ooh, way to reel me in. I'll be there. Five on the dot. Bye, Benny."

"Until then, Fayette." They hung up, and Benny felt himself smiling.

* * *

><p>"Get her flowers. Sweet flowers. Nothing pretentious, like roses. I'm guessing she likes daisies, so get her those. Not wrapped in plastic. In a ribbon. And then tell her how nice she looks. Take her places that make you comfortable and happy. No scary haunted houses or movie theaters. You want to be able to talk with her, about her, learn who she is. You also want her to learn about you. Always be a gentleman. Open doors for her. Buy her coffee. Sorry, I mean chocolate milk. And whatever you do, don't kiss her unless she wants you to." Sarah explained to Benny the night before.<p>

"How will I know?" Benny felt as though he should be taking notes. There was no way he would be able to remember all of that.

"Trust me, you'll know." Benny just gaped at Sarah. "Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. Okay, if she flirts with you a lot. Like, finds reasons to touch you. Maybe she nudges your arm or holds your hand a little longer after you've handed her something. And she gets close to your face a lot. And this is the key right here: if she keeps looking at your mouth. Not just, 'Oh, I'm watching what he's saying as he's saying it' kind of looking at your mouth, but looking at your mouth as if it were a new pair of shoes, her size, on sale, and she's got money to spend. Got it?"

Benny nodded uncertainly. 'So if she looks at my mouth like she looks at shoes, I kiss her. We're gonna need to pass by a shoe store,' he thought.

* * *

><p>Benny walked into the park, holding a handful of daisies wrapped with a purple ribbon behind his back, approaching a sitting Fayette on a park bench. She had a small book perched in her hands, flipping through the pages. Wearing a yellow dress and a bow in her hair, just the sight of her brought butterflies to Benny's stomach. No, these weren't butterflies. These were fire-breathing dragons, flapping around, doing their best to cause destruction.<p>

"How long have you been sitting there?" Benny asked, sitting down beside her and placing the daisies in her lap.

She closed her book, looked down at the flowers, then up at Benny's grinning face. "I've been here for an exhausting five minutes. Another second and I would've pegged you as a no-show." Smiling, she picked up the flowers and smelled them. "These are lovely. Thank you. How did you ever guess I loved daisies?" She said in faux shock.

"Well, they were out of Venus Flytraps, so I went for the next available plant. You look very beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you. So do you. The stripes really bring out your eyes."

Benny sat up from the bench, holding out his hand to help Fayette up. She placed the book in her bag, and took Benny's hand, letting go once they were standing.

"So where are we off to now?" she asked, taking a daisy and putting it in Benny's shirt pocket.

"I'm taking you somewhere important," he replied.

They strolled through the park, telling stories and talking about different things they enjoyed. Benny kept glancing over at Fayette, noticing how she used her hands a lot to talk. He wondered why he even worried at all about impressing her. Things were comfortable with her, and the conversation seemed to flow quite easily.

Suddenly, when things appeared to be going so well, Fayette stopped right in her tracks. "Benny, stand very still." She sounded frightened.

Not but two steps in front of her, he stopped. "Don't turn around," she whispered.

Benny, knowing the dangers of the town and all the weird things that happened, knew to listen to her. "I want you to grab my hand. No, don't come closer. Just reach your hand out. I'll come to you."

She took the tiniest of steps towards him, and took hold of his outstretched hand. The weirdest sensation spread through Benny's fingers when she touched him, almost like static. "Benny, close your eyes."

He looked at her, wide-eyed for a moment, and then shut his eyes. "I will lead you, just promise me you'll run, but keep your eyes closed."

Benny nodded, then felt himself being dragged by Fayette back through the end of the park they'd started. He could've sworn he heard a male voice say something somewhere to his right, but he dared not open his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6 Daisy

Fayette led them back to the park bench before telling Benny he could open his eyes.

"Well that was awkward..." Fayette said, sitting down.

Benny planted himself beside her, not sure where to start. "I'm guessing I won't be getting an explanation."

Fayette, biting her lip, looked right into Benny's eyes. "I get the feeling I will have to say something about that back there. Do you want the short version or the vague version?"

"Is that a trick question?" he asked with uncertainty.

"No. Look, I'm sorry..." She sighed, then continued. "There was someone very dangerous back there. He can't harm me under certain circumstances, but if we had walked any further, we would've stepped right into 'certain circumstances'."

Benny could see that even the vague explanation seemed to worry, even scare, Fayette. "You'd be surprised at what I could handle."

She eyed him, as if she wanted to continue. She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but stood up instead, clutching the daisies Benny had given her. "I should probably go. I'm really sorry, Benny. I didn't think..." She paused. "I was hoping to have a normal night, but I've probably put you in danger. Just promise me something, please?"

"Of course."

"Keep that daisy."

Benny peered down towards the daisy she'd placed in his shirt pocket. He picked it up gently, and looked back up to tell her something. It couldn't have been but a few seconds, but she was already gone.

"Fayette?" Benny shouted, but no one was there to respond.

* * *

><p>Benny tried calling Fayette, but each time it'd go right to her voicemail. Finally, he called Ethan. "I'm coming over, now." He gave Ethan no time to say hello or goodbye before he hung up.<p>

Frustrated and worried, he hurried over to Ethan's house. In record time, he arrived where Ethan answered the door, immediately asking, "Aren't you supposed to be on a date right now?"

"Yeah, about that..." Benny said, closing Ethan's front door and going right into explaining the situation.

Afterwards, once they had gone upstairs to Ethan's room, Ethan said nothing, but dialed Sarah's number and put her on speakerphone so Benny could rehash the story.

"Why do you two immediately think everything is supernatural?" Sarah's first response was to the tale. "Maybe he's like, a criminal or something."

"Yes, that puts me at ease," Benny remarked sarcastically. "And you do realize where we live, right? Just take a look at the three of us, for instance. Ethan's a Seer, you're a vampire, and I'm a Spellmaster. The odds are against 'normal' in this town."

"Still, I think maybe you're digging too deep. Have you tried calling her again?" Sarah asked.

"Straight to voicemail each time," Benny sighed, scratching his temple. Everything in his bones told him to worry for Fayette, and that something about this just wasn't..._right_.

"That park you went to, it's by the woods, correct?" Ethan spoke up.

Benny turned towards his friend, almost hearing the gears turning in Ethan's head. "Yeah. Why?"

Ethan strode over to his computer, typed in something, and said finally, "Look here. It says that forest by the park is called Hercynian Forest, named after the famous one in Southern Germany mentioned in many myths and legends to be an enchanted place full of magical creatures."

The boys looked at each other, and heard an intake of breath from Sarah on the phone. "So, maybe this is something we should look into," she said, sounding pretty convinced.


	7. Chapter 7 Hallelujah

The next day dragged on uneventfully for Benny. Even his grandmother sensed something was wrong when he picked at his food. She'd made lasagna that night for dinner, which Benny usually enjoyed. Tonight, however, he kept glancing over at his phone, as if expecting it to ring, or beep with a text.

"Benny, dear. That phone's not going to do a backflip if you eat your dinner," she said.

Benny looked up, as though caught off guard. "Sorry, Grandma. Just on my date yesterday, Fayette kind of ran from something. I'm pretty sure it was a guy. And she says he's dangerous. Now Ethan's talking about the forest being magical, and Fayette won't answer her phone. And dating is hard," he groaned, putting his head on the table.

"If it's the Hercynian Forest you're talking about, then it does have a magical history."

"Please point me in the direction of _something_ in this town that doesn't have magical history."

"Well, that fork in your hand doesn't."

Benny scowled, raising his head. "Thanks, Grandma. But seriously, do you think she ran from some sort of...I don't know, centaur or something?"

"This isn't Narnia," she answered, grabbing her empty plate and taking it to the kitchen. "Besides, it's not centaurs you'd need to worry about. Sasquatch, maybe. But centaurs are harmless."

"Uh, well thanks for the help." Benny stood to leave, but his grandma stopped him.

"Finish your peas. Then you're allowed to go upstairs and do as you please."

"That rhymed," Benny muttered under his breath, but she heard him anyway and raised her eyebrows at him. "Fine, I'll eat my peas."

Benny ate his peas in silence, trying to gather the information, albeit little, that his grandmother had given him about the forest. It wasn't much, but it could be useful.

* * *

><p>Monday. Benny would never admit to it again in his life, but he had actually looked forward to this new week of school. He'd see Fayette in class, and maybe finally get some answers out of her.<p>

Benny began walking towards his locker when Rory approached him. "How did that mission go?"

"Swimmingly." Benny didn't even look up as he answered, trying to get his books for the day from his locker.

"I still bet you could've used my help. I know people, who know people, who know some other people-"

"Rory, that is fantastic news. Look, here comes Erica. Go tell her," Benny said, shoving Rory into Erica's general direction.

"Hey, Erica. You look pulchritudinous today," Rory said.

"And you look pukish. Get away from me, dork." Erica threw her hair over her shoulder and continued walking, leaving Rory in the dust, as always.

"Benny!" Ethan shouted down the hall, accompanied by Sarah. "Come here!"

Benny grabbed the last book he needed, put them all in his backpack, and closed the locker door with more force than he intended. He walked towards the two, initially agitated with the day, until he saw that they seemed pleased about something.

"We saw Fayette earlier," Sarah practically squealed with excitement.

Benny face lit up. "So she's here, at school? Today?"

Ethan nodded. "We passed by her coming out of the washroom. I don't think she saw us though. But she is definitely at school today."

Suddenly, his whole mood shifted, and Benny felt elated. He would be seeing Fayette later, and if all went well, maybe things were okay between them. "Thanks a bunch. I'll see you both later."

He walked off, leaving Ethan and Sarah to themselves. "Oh, hey, Ethan. I have a question about the dance next Saturday."

Ethan immediately enlivened. "Uh...uh, yeah. Sure. What is it?" he barely managed to get out.

Sarah smiled, her pearly whites in contrast to her tawny skin. "Well, I need to find a dress, and the ONLY day I can go shopping is inconveniently the only day that Erica can't. So... I was hoping maybe you could go and give me honest opinions about the dresses I try on. So how about Wednesday?"

Throughout her question, Ethan felt himself getting deflated. "Of course. I'll help you out," he said, faking a smile.

"Thank you. You're a lifesaver." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked Ethan on the cheek. "I'll see you later!" she said and walked off.

Ethan felt his cheeks flush, and he couldn't contain the real smile that followed. He turned around all too quickly and ran into someone, knocking their books to the ground.

Ethan immediately apologized and began grabbing the books to help, and saw it wasn't just anyone's books on the floor. It was Fayette's. She leaned over to grab a notebook that Ethan had reached for at the same time, and his hand touched hers.

Beyond his control, he suddenly got a quick vision.

"Ethan?" Fayette said, reaching for the books in his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you, but I've got to get to class now. Thank you for helping me."

Ethan just stared into her green eyes, unresponsive. Handing her the books, she smiled and walked away.

According to the vision, Fayette was definitely hiding something, and Ethan couldn't figure out yet what it could possibly mean. But he had to find Benny, and soon.


	8. Chapter 8 Everything's Magic

Later that day, Ethan walked into the lunch room to find Benny sitting by himself, not even touching his food. Knowing Benny and his love for food, this appeared not to be a good sign. It also didn't put Ethan at ease for what he was about to tell his best friend.

"Hey, there," Ethan said awkwardly, giving Benny a light punch on his arm.

Benny, clearly confused at Ethan's behavior, responded by lightly punching his friend back. "Hey, there...buddy."

"How are you, uh...how are you holding up?"

"Okay. Spit it out." Benny pulled the chair out for Ethan to sit in, but the latter made no attempt to sit down. "Sit. Having you stand over me makes me feel like prey."

Ethan sat tentatively, clutching his lunch tray for support. "You have to promise what I'm about to tell you will not cause you to freak out."

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

"I'm a man. I don't pinky promise. I promise on my comic book collection that I will not freak out."

Ethan seemed to take this as a sufficient response, and took a deep breath before he told Benny about his vision pertaining to Fayette. "Right, well, this morning I ran into Fayette. Like, physically ran into her. I dropped her books, and while I was helping her pick them up, I touched her hand and had a vision..."

Benny's heart started to beat faster with nervous anticipation. "Go on."

Ethan kept opening and closing his mouth, like a fish out of water gasping for air. Benny just knew he was searching for words, but it still didn't put his mind at ease. "She... um. It was of Fayette. And it was very quick. But I'm still completely positive what it was."

Ethan stalled for another minute before Benny took his water bottle and said, "Ethan, the anticipation alone is killing me. If you don't just say it, I will tell everyone about that incident with the giant spider-"

"She had wings," Ethan blurted.

Benny, not sure he heard him correctly, titled his head slightly. "As in...?"

"As in wings. As in wings one would use to fly."

Benny nearly dropped his water bottle. Biting his fist to keep from freaking out, as he promised, he took a few seconds before asking Ethan to elaborate.

"Well, they were iridescent. I suppose they could've been feathers, but they just looked like nothing I'd seen before. And she was standing at the edge of the forest, but it was like fog surrounded her. And the wings just came out of these two tiny scars on her back."

"You're positive it was her?" Benny didn't know what to believe. Clearly, he had to take Ethan's word, but it just sounded so...strange. This had not been what he expected.

Ethan nodded, scared to say any more because of how Benny was reacting.

Benny tried to let the information sink in for a few moments. He crossed his hands under his chin and just stared at his lunch tray, thinking what that could mean. 'Okay, wings. Wings, fog, forest. Fayette has wings. What do I know about humans with wings? Maybe she's a bird? Half-bird? No, that doesn't make much sense. Okay, what do you know about Fayette, Benny?' he asked himself, listing off all the important points of the last few days.

The first image that struck Benny was the day he hit his head on the locker door, and her face appeared above his, her arms supporting him from falling. She wore a white dress and a daisy in her hair. 'Are you all right?' she'd asked.

Later that day, she hadn't been in class, but the second time he ran into the locker, she was there for him again. He'd asked her to walk him home. 'Fine. I can't keep being your guardian angel, though.' Afterwards, she'd put her number in his phone as 'the number to Heaven'.

On their date, she'd warned Benny when there was danger. She took his hand, and it felt like static. She had him close his eyes, and then she ran with him back to safety. Flew, more like. She'd wanted him to keep the daisy.

Suddenly, it was as if the final piece to the puzzle fit. Benny, forgetting Ethan remained next to him, nearly jumped out of his seat. He wanted to shout "Eureka!" He felt he'd discovered the greatest of mysteries.

"Ethan, I know what it all means now," Benny smiled, his adrenaline pumping. Goodness, he felt like he could run a marathon. He couldn't sit still any longer. Before Ethan had a chance to speak, Benny stood up and went on talking, rushing his words together. "The fog. It wasn't fog. It was clouds. She's been there for me three times, _three_ times when I was in harm's way. She has wings. Fayette... She's like some sort of... angel. She's an angel. Ethan, Fayette is an _angel_."


	9. Chapter 9 Wake Up

Benny expected Ethan to be more excited about this news, but his friend was just settled into his seat, staring up at him. "I think we should discuss this with Sarah," Ethan finally said, opening his bag of chips.

"Fine. Let's go do that, _now_." Benny motioned for Ethan to get up from his chair, but instead Ethan continued to eat.

"I'm hungry."

"The funny thing about every item of food on your tray is, it's portable. Take it with you, and we'll go find Sarah to see what she thinks about my revelation."

Taking his bag of chips and apple with him, Ethan gave Benny the evil eye before begrudgingly following pursuit.

* * *

><p>"Are you going to the dance with anyone on Saturday?" Sarah sat at her desk doodling, while Erica twirled her long, blonde hair in her fingers.<p>

"Are you kidding? All the geeks in this school aren't worthy of my time," Erica yawned dramatically. "What about you?"

Sarah shrugged, still finding the subject of boys a touchy one, considering the product of her last relationship turned her into a vampire. "I was thinking of going with a friend, maybe."

"Wait, you don't mean that little geek you babysit, right?" Erica raised her eyebrows at Sarah, winding her up.

Before Sarah had a chance to answer, she turned her head and saw Benny and Ethan peering in through the door. They seemed to be signalling for her to come out of class, but her lip-reading abilities were questionable. Regardless, she raised her hand and asked, "May I be excused?"

The teacher gave her a hall pass, and she left the classroom with her stuff, not knowing how long this could take. Once in the hallway, she noticed Benny wouldn't stop pacing. "What's with him? Did he eat a pound of sugar again?"

"I wish it were that simple," Ethan mumbled, taking a bite from his apple.

"Ethan, tell her exactly everything about the vision that you told me. Then I'll give her my theory," Benny said, walking back and forth with his hand on his chin.

It took less than a minute for Ethan to explain his vision, but it took Benny at least five to calm down long enough to share his side of things.

By the end of it, Sarah looked pensive. "Okay, first I'm gonna need you to stop pacing. I feel like I'm burning calories just looking at you," she directed towards Benny, who stopped walking abruptly, but instead began to tap his finger against his leg. "I guess that'll have to do. I don't see why I always have to make the plans, but here's what we'll do. Ethan and I will do some research on the matter. You, however," she said, poking Benny in the chest, "need to continue acting normal...well, as normal as you can be, around Fayette. She's still a girl. And for some reason, she seems to like your company."

"So you believe me?" Benny looked hopeful.

Not wanting to let him down, Sarah gave a weak smile. "I think you're onto something, but until Ethan and I find out more about this, don't freak out."

Feeling a bit more hopeful, Benny gave his signature wide grin. "Well, I better get to class. Thank you both."

Once he was out of earshot, Ethan regarded Sarah for a moment before saying, "Thank you. I think this situation is a little strange for him. But what you did was nice."

"Ah, don't mention it. I guess I should probably stop by your house later, so we can go through the books and try to see if there's any information that may help us figure this out."

"Yeah, sure. That sounds fine. Um, I suppose I'll see you later."

Sarah remained motionless for a moment, a look of contemplation upon her face, before she finally headed off down the hall, not even bothering to return to class.

* * *

><p>Benny had it all planned out how he would deal with Fayette in science. Since the discussion with Sarah and Ethan, he'd written and rewritten the same note about twenty times, not sure how to get all the words exactly right. Thankfully, right before the bell rang for science, he perfected it.<p>

'Good, I'll just set it on her desk once she walks in, and then we'll talk after class. Simple,' he thought.

Fayette practically glided in the room, wearing a light blue dress and a flower headband in her hair. She smiled at Benny, who was stricken with a new plan to give her the note he'd so perfectly constructed, though it would completely go against Sarah's wishes to act normal.

Digging through his backpack, he found the book he needed. Making sure no one saw, he muttered a few words under his breath while holding the note in his right hand. Quickly, it disappeared, and with a blue flash reappeared on Fayette's desk. He heard a small gasp behind him, already aware of who it could be and why.

He waited until the end of class, right as the bell rang for the end of the day, before he turned around to see Fayette. He expected her to look happy. Relieved. Maybe even a little smitten.

Instead, her eyes were focused on one spot on the blackboard, and as the whole class left, she remained seated.

Once everyone had gone, she grabbed her bag and in one fluid motion, stood up and took hold of Benny's hand, dragging him out of the classroom. Fayette pinned him against the wall, pointing one finger on his chest, and eyed Benny closely. "Explain yourself," she said, an intense look on her face.


	10. Chapter 10 Sweet Disposition

Benny couldn't deny he found it pretty hot when Fayette pushed him against the wall. Grinning like an idiot when she looked so angry probably didn't help much, but he couldn't help it when she was so dainty and girly, in her little blue dress, pointing her finger into his chest. So naturally, a giggle erupted from him.

"Now you're laughing?" Fayette asked incredulously. "First you write some cryptic note, then cast a spell to send it to my desk. And then you _laugh_ at me for being mad?"

Benny put his hands on her shoulders, still smiling. "No, I promise it's not that. I'm not happy that you're mad. But it was kind of hot when you got angry."

"Still angry here," she said, pointing at her face. "I don't understand you, Benny."

"Not many do," he admitted, taking his hands off her shoulders and removing her finger from his chest. "But I am sorry. I probably didn't go about this the best way."

Fayette scoffed. "Oh, you think?" She shook her head, leaning against the wall beside him and unfolding the note from her hand. "'Fayette, I just want you to know that I won't pry, but whenever you're willing to tell me the truth, I promise I'll understand,'" she read.

"I don't see anything cryptic about it," Benny said, sliding down the wall and taking a seat once he hit the ground. He pat the spot beside him, and Fayette took the hint to sit down.

"Everything about that is just...nonsense. Tell you the truth about what?"

Benny gave her a knowing look, but she just remained at a loss for words. "I said I wouldn't pry, and I won't. But one of these days, I hope you will tell me."

"Yes, but tell you what?"

Realizing she may not actually understand where he was coming from, Benny decided to let it go. "You know what, I will just shut up now."

"But... You didn't... What?" she fumbled. "I should be more freaked out about the magic. The note, and the paper... Seriously, it was in your hand one minute and like blue lightning... I just..." She took a deep breath before continuing, "You know I'm not going to let this go until I get an explanation."

Benny smirked. "I know. So not to change the subject or anything, but I hear there's a dance this Saturday."

Fayette sighed, wanting to press the issue, but she figured that whatever truth he was looking to uncover would eventually give her answers as well. "Yeah, I heard about that. The 'Black and White Ball'. Are you going?"

"Well, it would be an injustice to the world if I didn't let at least one lady accompany me," Benny said smugly.

"Yeah, that'd be a shame. I, on the other hand, need to go through the vast list of guys that have already asked me. Today alone, I think I had five guys extend invitations."

Benny's smile faded right into a look of astonishment. Fayette shoved his arm playfully and laughed. "Gosh, Benny, take a joke."

"Well you act like you're not pretty enough to get asked by a bunch of guys."

"Hmm... no. I think, I act like I only hope for one certain guy's request to the Ball." She took her cell phone out of her bag, and looked at the screen. "Would you look at the time? I've got somewhere to be." She stood up swiftly, taking her belongings with her. "I'll see you around, Houdini." Giving Benny a wink, she strolled down the hallway and through the open doors.

Benny, still sitting on the ground against the wall, decided there was no easy way to lure Fayette in. So if she wanted to start a tango, she had better prepare for him to join in.

* * *

><p>Sarah stood in Ethan's bedroom doorway, watching as he shuffled to pick up the mess that had seemed to consume his floor. "You know, it's fine. I don't mind if your room is a mess," Sarah said, just wanting to start the research.<p>

"Well, if you want to go ahead and sit at my computer. I'll grab another chair for me to sit in." Ethan threw a pile of clothes into a hamper before leaving Sarah to herself for moment.

Choosing to go ahead and get a head start, she opened up Ethan's browser. Surprised to find that his desktop picture was of him and Benny, and a spot beside them where she should've been. Jane candidly snapped the photo while Sarah babysat one Friday night. Ethan lounged on the couch, about to put a piece of popcorn in his mouth. Benny was in the middle of knocking over a can of soda. And on the other end of the couch, there she should've been. She wondered what emotions she felt at that time, how her face portrayed those emotions, and if she was happy.

"Oh." Ethan broke the silence, walking into the room with his chair.

"Hey, sorry," Sarah said, clicking away from the picture. "Thought I'd just go ahead and start... Got a bit distracted, I guess."

Ethan brought the chair over beside her and settled into it, observing her. "I remember that night."

Sarah tried to give a smile, her mind still wrapped around her image not being there. "So do I. We were going to watch that one movie about the talking chimps, but we couldn't find it. And then you realized that Benny borrowed it a long time ago and gave it back to you covered in peanut butter. So your mom threw it away."

Ethan gave a light laugh. "Yeah, she always promised to buy a new one. And then we ended up watching that cheesy infomercial for about two hours. I don't even know why. We could've changed the channel. We just didn't."

They sat quietly for a moment, until Sarah declared finally what they both were thinking. "I should've been in that picture."

Sarah usually never got emotional. Ethan knew this about her. He knew how strong and fierce the girl sitting beside him was. He admired her. But for some reason, this really caused her to get a little upset."That's the only reason it's on my computer. I can still picture exactly how you looked." Sarah positioned herself to where she looked directly at Ethan, her legs nearly touching his. Ethan went on, "You wore that pink shirt. The one Jane ended up getting blue icing on. And your hair, which is never up in a ponytail, was that night. And as the picture was being taken, your legs were crossed, and you were smiling. You can't tell really, but I was looking right at you as the photo took. And I remember thinking how pretty you were, even though you couldn't see it for yourself."

Ethan blushed, shocked that he even divulged all that information. Sarah even felt herself trying to hold back a smile. Both of them knew that usually Ethan would never be so honest, or bold. They still sat facing each other, and it felt like forever they just remained that way. Finally, Sarah cleared her throat, and moved her legs back under the computer desk.

"Right. Let's find out who Fayette is," she said, her mouth twitching a bit at the sides.


	11. Chapter 11 I Caught Fire In Your Eyes

The next day at school, Benny came up with a plan to deal with Fayette and her trickiness. "She can't just sit there, practically tell me she wants me to ask her to the dance, and then walk off," Benny explained to Ethan.

"Yeah, actually, she can. She's a girl."

Benny had no proper response to that, because it held every truth. Girls _did_ love to play mind games. "Well, I'm going to handle this the Benny way."

"When has 'the Benny way' ever worked to your advantage?" Ethan pointed out, as Sarah walked up.

"It's a trial and error thing," Benny said, sounding a little defeated. "Anyway, how did you two get along on your Fayette research?"

Sarah and Ethan glanced at each other, before Sarah decided to take the reins. "Well, the most we could find about angels is the basic theory: beautiful guardians with wings, surrounded by a glow or light. As for Hercynian Forest, apparently there have been reports of numerous mythical creature sightings. All from loons, I'm sure. Ethan and I will have to work on it some more on Thursday, because tonight I have to work on a project, and tomorrow we're going dress shopping."

"Aw, is Ethan gonna buy a nice dress for the Ball?" Benny teased, pinching Ethan's cheek.

Brushing him away, Ethan responded tersely, "Very funny. Last time I checked, you were the one complaining that you don't have a date."

"Neither do you," Benny said, crossing his arms in triumph.

"Sarah, will you go with me?"

She threw her hands up in defense. "I'm not here to prove a point. Ask me again tomorrow," she replied, walking off.

Benny and Ethan stared off after her. Eventually, Benny asked incredulously, "Was that a maybe?"

* * *

><p>The day went on as any normal school day, except Benny had something up his sleeve for science. He got there early to ensure a seat beside where Fayette usually sat, and his Spell Book was propped neatly on his lap for no one to see. He'd had the spell ready. When Fayette walked in, he would perform the deed.<p>

Today, Fayette was one of the first to enter the room. Seeing that she was only joined by Benny, she settled into her usual desk, only giving Benny a quick glance. Benny could've sworn she wanted to smile. Before anyone else could arrive, he muttered a few words into his hand and blew what looked like glitter in Fayette's general direction.

Suddenly, a striped rubber ball and small piece of paper appeared on Fayette's desk. Her natural reaction caused her to jump slightly, before she took the paper in her hands and read the few words upon it. She peered over at Benny, raising one eyebrow and glaring at him until she shook her head. "Really? A 'black and white ball'?" She held up the rubber ball.

"I thought it was clever." Benny beamed, waiting for her response to the rest of his little magic trick.

"I'll admit, _maybe_ it is a _little_ clever. But magic, again? Are you trying to freak me out?"

"Does it freak you out?"

"Well, it's not exactly normal behavior," she said, before continuing sarcastically, "'Oh, hey, Fayette. How was your day?' 'Well, I aced my math quiz. Ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. Also, this guy I know decided he wants to be Harry Potter, and zap rubber balls on my desk while asking me to go to a dance with him. Same old boring stuff, you know.'"

"So is that a no?" Benny grappled hopefully.

"I'm looking for answers, sir. Until then, I'm afraid I have to decline your invitation."

"I'm looking for answers, too."

"I'm not giving you reasons to look for answers."

"You've given at least one, on our date."

Fayette bit the inside of her cheek. Just the word 'date' for some odd reason made her want to smile, but now was certainly not the time to cave. "Fine. I will answer at least that, on one condition."

Benny turned in his chair as students began to come to class.

"Take me to that important place you were going to take me."

"As you wish," he answered just as the bell rang for class to start.

At that, Fayette couldn't contain it any longer. Turning her head, she folded the paper in her hand, and grinned. Benny saw.


	12. Chapter 12 Run, Don't Walk

Wednesday appeared to be a big day for both Ethan and Benny. Ethan would be going with Sarah as she shopped for dresses, and Benny would finally take Fayette on the rest of their date.

Time never ticked as slowly than on that day for the two best friends. But once the school day had ended, neither felt quite ready.

"Good luck," Benny said to Ethan, who looked surprisingly calm.

"Thanks. You, too. Try not to accidentally magic her foot off, or anything."

Benny gave a hearty fake laugh. "Fine, I take it back. No good luck for you." He pretended to reach into the air and take back his good luck.

Ethan shrugged, smiling. "I'll be fine without it."

The two went in their separate directions, off to meet different girls for different reasons. Despite their expectations, neither could predict the outcome of the day.

* * *

><p>"Hey, there. Ready to go?" Sarah was in the driver's seat of her car, as Ethan climbed into the passenger's side. He gave her a smile and a nod, and off to the dress shops they went. "Since I can't exactly see myself in the mirror, I will fully need your honest opinion on each dress. I know that's asking a lot from a guy, but I trust you."<p>

Ethan's heart did a little flip at that statement. "I promise, I won't let you down."

"Thank you." They drove along, listening to music the whole way there. Luckily, they didn't need to fish for conversation because the shop resided fairly close by.

The tiny shop, painted a putrid pink on the outside, was nearly filled to the rim inside with dresses. They had one tiny space in the corner devoted to a singular fitting room, and a rickety chair sat outside that door. That was where Ethan remained while Sarah went searching through the dresses not only to find ones she liked, but ones that were her size, her price range, and either black or white.

"This is ridiculous," even she proclaimed, walking to the fitting room with a pile of dresses in her hands. "I'll try to be quick."

She'd only picked out seven dresses to try on, but soon realized that one of the seven that she'd mistaken for black was actually a navy blue. Ethan saw no difference, but to Sarah, it mattered.

Each one she tried on, Ethan gave his honest opinion. The first one was too unlike something she'd wear. The second one had too much 'poof' as Ethan described it. The third looked less like a high school dance dress, and more like a blanket. On the fourth, Sarah had trouble with the zipper. "I feel weird asking you this, but you could zip this for me?"

Ethan stood up, walking over to her as she pushed her hair aside. He took a light hold of the zipper, but it wouldn't budge. "You don't have a proper grip on the zipper."

He tried again, and this time proved successful. She spun around in her dress so he could have a better view, and he just gawked. If he had to give his honest opinion, words wouldn't even cover it. "This one," he just said instead.

The dress draped down past her feet. She had to stand on her tiptoes just so she wouldn't stumble over it. It was form-fitting and black lace, tying at a white ribbon around her waist. At the bottom, the fabric bunched up to reveal white lace. At the top, near her sleeve, was one small, red lace rose. "You don't think the red ruins it?" she asked.

"Not at all. I don't know much about dresses, but I'm pretty sure none of the other ones you have in there will amount to this."

Sarah twirled in her dress, beaming. "I like it, a lot. And it's on sale! Okay, I'm definitely getting this one. Thank you," she said, walking over to Ethan to hug him.

Putting her arms around his neck, she gave him a quick embrace. Trying to step back, she nearly tripped over her dress, but Ethan caught her around the waist. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before Sarah tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "I should probably change clothes now."

Ethan let her go, unsure of what just happened.


	13. Chapter 13 Somewhere Only We Know

"We won't go near the forest, correct?" Fayette asked for the third time. Not that Benny counted or anything.

"I promise. You _can_ trust me, you know."

Fayette's green eyes peered up at his, apprehensive, but not creased with worry like they usually were. "All right. Lead the way."

"How about we walk beside each other instead?" Benny offered.

Again, acting as though she held back a smile, she proceeded to walk with him down the sidewalk, destination unknown. "So do you still have that daisy I gave you?"

Benny reached into his back pocket, pulling out a perfectly preserved daisy. Fayette eyed him suspiciously before he explained, "I wasn't going to let it die. Magic touch, remember?" He wiggled his fingers in her face, causing her to grab his hands to stop him. In doing so, Benny held onto one of her hands, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Very smooth," she concurred. "You know, I like it better when you're not trying to impress me."

Benny laughed nervously. "Me? Try to impress you? Pssh... What?... No..." Fayette looked at him skeptically. "Okay, fine, maybe a little. Sorry I'm not cool as a cucumber, like you."

"I don't know if I agree being compared to a cucumber."

"Cool as a penguin?"

"Nice. I am a sucker for a bird in a tux. So what does that make you?"

"A hopeless little fish," Benny sighed.

She laughed, holding his hand tighter. "Benny the magical fish. Hooked by a nerdy penguin. So where are you taking me, little fish?"

"Really cute," he teased. "And why can't you just go with the flow of the stream, like me? We'll get there, I promise."

"I'm still not fully convinced that you're not kidnapping me."

"Hey, whose hand is holding whose now?"

"Would it be 'whose' or 'whoms'?"

"I don't think 'whoms' is even a word."

"Oh, I love it when you talk grammar," Fayette remarked with a grin.

"_I_ before _E_, except after _C_."

Fayette put the hand that wasn't holding Benny's again her head. "Oh, catch me. I'm swooning!"

"You're lucky I don't take you seriously."

"You're lucky...that... hmm... Okay, I have nothing witty to say to that. One point for Benny."

Glancing over at her, he felt the corners of his mouth go up into a slight grin. "How do you do that?" he blurted.

She looked perplexed. "Do what?"

"It's like one minute, I can't even speak around you. And the next, I feel like I've known you for...well, much longer than I've actually known you."

"Ooh, that line's almost as good as 'You've got beautiful eyes'," she smirked. Benny slowed his pace, squeezing her hand lightly. "I'm kidding. And honestly, it sounds less like something I'm doing, and more like something to do with you."

"I'm not usually like this, you know."

"Like?"

"Nervous, around girls. In fact, I'd say I'm more of a flirt... No, that sounds negative. I guess I'm just less afraid to talk to girls."

"We're talking now."

"Yes, but...sometimes I think if I'd never hit my head against that locker door, we'd never be talking. The build up to talking to you was nerve-wracking."

"I'm just a girl, Benny," she laughed, poking his side, but he'd stopped walking. She turned towards him until they were face to face. "Aren't we going to continue down this path?"

"No. We're here."

Fayette finally observed her surroundings, and noticed that they were in front of what seemed to be an old shop, sitting by itself on the corner of the otherwise barren street. It was two stories high, with a lamp post outside and a sign nearly hanging on its hinges. The paint faded on the sign, so much that she had to practically squint to read it. "A bookstore?"

"Not just any bookstore. Let's walk in, shall we?" Benny released her hand momentarily to open the door for her. She curtsied while he bowed slightly, and entered the most unique bookstore she'd ever had the fortune to be in.

Bookshelves filled the walls, books lined the floors, leading all the way up the stairs where even more books toppled over books upon books. "Come on, let's go up the stairs," Benny said.

Fayette followed him, doing her best not to fall over the books. Benny gently took her hand, seeing her struggle, and led her up the rickety stairs.

"That's it, you're trying to kill me. Kidnap me, then kill me with the world of books."

"Well if that were the case, I'd be going down with you."

Benny took her through the shelves, back to a corner where a slightly tattered, pink loveseat sat all by itself amidst the books. "This is where I used to come with my Grandma when I was younger, and I'd read the comics."

He gestured for her to sit down, while he went to a nearby display and sifted through to find a comic book. "Spiderman!" he said jubilantly, bringing it over and plopping down beside her on the couch.

Fayette sat next to him, no more than a foot apart from each other, suddenly engulfed by the scent of old books. Benny flicked through the pages of the comic, eyes alight. She smiled over at him, feeling as though he'd just let her in on a secret by deciding to bring her here, into this tiny corner in this vast world of words and pages. Inching herself closer to him, Benny looked up at her, a smile still across his face. "What?" he asked.

She wanted to say more, but knew now was not the time. "Nothing. I just like it here."

Benny winked, going back to his comic, not realizing that Fayette didn't necessarily specify which 'here' she was referring to. 'Here' could've been the bookstore, the city, the world. But the 'here' she spoke of, in this instance, meant 'in this important place with this uncommon boy'.


	14. Chapter 14 Falling

A few hours had passed in the bookstore, while Fayette and Benny lounged on the loveseat. After having read to each other scenes from old books, eventually their attention shifted over to a game of "Would You Rather". The light outside soon turned to sunset, but neither of them noticed.

"Okay, I've got one. Would you rather...kiss a frog, or lick your foot?" Benny asked.

"I'd lick my foot. I have no idea where that frog has been, and I very much doubt he'll turn into a prince."

"I guess that's true...I should've come up with a better one."

"My turn." Fayette grinned, turning her body so she faced Benny. "Would you rather be Peter Pan or Peter Parker?"

"Peter Pan."

"Do tell."

"Peter Parker could never escape being a nerd. He was still just human... And I don't like spiders," he admitted. "Peter Pan, on the other hand, got to live in Neverland, fight pirates, _and_ he had Tinkerbell. I'd say that one's a fair trade."

"Tinkerbell, eh?" Fayette's head leaned against her hand, propped up by the top of the sofa. Her knee touched Benny's, who sat with his feet tucked under him, facing her.

"I saw the live action _Peter Pan_ movie a while ago. She was actually _pretty_ hot," he admitted.

"What, no love for Wendy?"

"Too pushy. She was always trying to give Peter a kiss."

"Thimble," Fayette corrected.

"What?"

"It was a thimble. A thimble was a kiss. A kiss was a thimble." Benny didn't fully understand, so she elaborated. "If I pulled a thimble out of my pocket right now, it'd be a kiss. If I gave you a kiss right now, it'd be a thimble."

Suddenly, the words struck the both of them, inches apart on this couch. Their faces hadn't seemed quite so close before, but it was as if the distance between them evaporated abruptly with those few words. Fayette felt her ears burn and her heart speed up. Benny quickly felt all the color rush to his face as his breathing became quickened. If Benny had to guess, Fayette just spotted a pair of shoes that she could _not_ tear her eyes away from.

* * *

><p>After dress shopping, Sarah and Ethan decided to get ice cream at a nearby parlor. They sat outside with their ice cream cones at a patio table in front of the shop, talking and laughing, losing track of time. They'd long since finished their ice cream. Until a streetlight near them turned on, they hadn't realized the sky was darkening around them.<p>

"Wow, is it really that late?" Ethan asked, looking at his watch.

"How did so much time go by?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"I guess we just got wrapped up in our conversation."

Sarah grabbed her bag and pulled her car keys out. "I suppose I should probably take you home."

"Before you do, could I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Yesterday, you said to ask you something tomorrow. Well, it's tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would go to the dance with me."

Again, taken aback by his bravery, Sarah's mouth curved into a smile. "I'd be honored. Just as long as we don't have to take pictures," she joked.

Ethan laughed, getting up from his chair. "Deal."

Sarah rose from her chair as well, getting in step with Ethan as they made their way to her car. The sun was fully set by now, and each lamp post's light had come on, casting an eerie glow on an otherwise peaceful night. Sarah, usually unaffected by the wind and cold, suddenly shivered.

"Are you cold?" Ethan asked, shrugging off his jacket to put around her shoulders.

"No, I just got a weird feeling." Sarah, instead of rejecting his jacket, pulled it closely towards her.

"Just walk close to me. We'll get to your car safely, I promise."

Sarah couldn't see his expression in the light, but she felt as though Ethan wasn't trying to just use a line on her. He sounded genuinely protective, and like he wanted her to feel free from harm. In fact, she'd even go so far as to say maybe he had grown up a bit, and she'd somehow missed it.

Moving a little closer towards him, Sarah grabbed onto Ethan's arm as they heard a rustling that startled them both. "Hold on," he said abruptly, turning his head to look around.

The wind picked up, causing leaves around them to stir. Unsure if he was hearing things or not, Ethan thought a whisper issued somewhere close by them.

"Let's keep walking. Once we get to your car, we can just leave." He quickened his pace, taking Sarah with him.

"Out for a romantic stroll?" A raspy voice said to their right.

Sarah and Ethan swivelled to see a young man, seemingly appearing out of the trees, drawing near them.


	15. Chapter 15 Under A Paper Moon

Benny leaned in a little closer to Fayette, his breathing shallow. Fayette bit her lip again, knowing what was about to happen and not knowing how to prevent it, secretly not wanting to stop it at all. Their noses nearly touched now.

Benny, out of nowhere, jumped and reached into his back pocket. Pulling out his cell phone angrily, he muttered under his breath, "This better be an emergency, Ethan." He answered the call, saying in an agitated voice. "Hello?...Yes, I'm with Fayette. Is that why you called-" Ethan must've interrupted him, as there was a long pause. "Who's Rowan?"

At the mention of that name, Fayette gasped. Benny peered over at her, and she covered her mouth. "Well it seems Fayette _does_ know him. I'm just glad you two are all right... Be careful, okay?" He hung up the phone, looked over at the poor frightened Fayette beside him, and decided, "I should take you home."

"No, you wanted answers, I'll have to give you those first." She placed her head in her hands, mumbling between her fingers, "I'm so sorry. I never knew this would all snowball like this."

Benny placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I promise. How about, to ease the tension, I'll tell you about myself first."

Fayette raised her head and looked back into Benny's eyes. "Okay."

"Well, not too long ago, I found out Grandma is an Earth Priestess, and I'm a SpellMaster. Basically, I've got a Spell Book, and I can cast spells and whatnot. I know it's probably a lot to take in, and a bit weird, but...this town is full of weird."

Fayette choked out a laugh. "Yeah, you're telling me. But thank you. I wasn't expecting that, but surprisingly, I'm not scared by it. I don't know if it eased things for me, but now I feel less weird explaining things to you." She took a deep breath before carried on. "I'll have to give the short version for now, but... on our first date, near the woods, it was Rowan."

"Why didn't I see him?"

"One step at a time. Anyway, my family is kind of...important. So are Rowan's parents. Basically, they think it'd be a good idea for us to get together...or date, I guess. But Rowan is a very bad person. Evil, almost. And it angers him that I don't want him. But I didn't think he'd try to hurt you, or Ethan, or Sarah. I'm so sorry."

"That's it?" Benny smiled softly. "Yeah, I kind of feel like you could've gone first now, but... I'm a SpellMaster," he added weakly.

"Remember how you said I'd be surprised at what you could handle? I guess I understand why now. But just please know that I'm telling you as much as I can, and I don't want you thinking I'm lying to you or anything."

"I don't think that. I should probably get you home now, though."

* * *

><p><em>Earlier<em>

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, feeling her vampire senses kick in with the presence of danger.

"Don't worry. I won't bite. You, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about," the boy taunted, gesturing to Sarah. "I'm just here to give a message."

"She asked a question. I suggest you answer it," Ethan spoke up, placing an arm in front of Sarah to protect her.

"I'm Rowan. Let's just say I'm a friend of Fayette Challacombe's."

"Then why did you come to us?"

The boy stepped closer towards them, allowing himself to be more visible in the streetlight. He towered over Ethan and Sarah, a fairly skinny guy with noticeable muscle tone in his arms. His hair was messy and ashy brown, with eyes as green as grass. There seemed to be a permanent sarcastic smirk on his face. His hands were crossed against his chest as he spoke. "Fayette has a bit of a restraining order against me, at the moment." He smiled, as if this was a joke. "As I said, I'm here to give a message, and then I'll be on my merry little way."

"Go on." Ethan, despite being quite mortal, was still determined to protect Sarah, who was fully capable of fighting her own battles.

"All right, impatient. Your friend, Benny, would be wise to stay away from Fayette. He's being closely monitored, and the longer he associates himself with her, the more dangerous things will get for him. Clear?"

"Not at all," Sarah scoffed. "You think we'll take your word for it? Fayette has given us no reason to not trust her. You, however, have 'villain' written all over you."

"Oh, if only it were that simple," Rowan said, stroking Sarah's cheek with his long finger.

Sarah nearly jumped out of Ethan's grip with rage. Rowan merely laughed, and disappeared once again into the trees.

"Sarah, let's go to your car, drive off, and call Benny."

* * *

><p>"Should I walk you home?" Benny asked, once they'd left the bookstore.<p>

"No, I promise I'll be safe until I get there. Can you text me to let me know you've gotten home safely?"

"You could always walk me there to ensure I do," he grinned.

Fayette smiled weakly. "You're a tease, Benny. But it's pretty late. Just promise you'll call or text?"

"I promise."

Fayette started to walk off, leaving Benny under the nearby lamp post, before she turned on the spot. "Thank you, for tonight. I'm really glad you took me here."

Benny kept his eyes towards the ground as he dug the toe of his shoe into the dirt. "I think we left off on my turn..." His hands were buried in his pockets, and he finally glanced upward at Fayette. "So, would you rather... kiss a frog or go to the dance with me on Saturday?"

Fayette started walking backwards, away from him. "That depends. How good of a kisser is this frog?" She gave a huge smile, slowly turning around and shouting behind her, "Just don't trod on my toes as we slow dance!"

Feeling accomplished, Benny began walking towards his house with a little more hope instilled in him.


	16. Chapter 16 Girls and Boys in School

With only two days before the Black and White Ball, Ethan and Benny still couldn't believe they had dates.

"I'm fairly certain that a purple tux doesn't qualify as 'black' or 'white'," Benny announced dejectedly.

Ethan, still unsure about the laws of fashion, knew that that would've been a bad idea regardless. "Benny, you're already going to the dance with a beautiful girl. Add to the fact that you want to wear a purple tux, and you're kind of asking to be outshone."

"What, you're saying because I managed to snag a lovely lady, that I will pale in comparison?"

"No, I'm saying that she could wear a paper bag and look amazing. You actually should try."

Benny gasped and put a hand over his heart. "Ethan Morgan, how dare you! I happen to be a strapping young lad, who's taking an angel to the dance."

"Well, that's very kind of you, but I'm pretty sure angels aren't supposed to cause so much trouble." Fayette's voice appeared behind Benny, and he nearly tripped over himself with surprise.

"Fayette, you caught me off guard," he said, trying to bounce back from his slip up about angels. "What havoc have you wreaked today?"

Fayette held her books closely to her chest, walking through the halls between the two boys. "Oh, the usual. Pulling the fire alarm. Stealing all the toilet paper from the bathrooms. Making little kids cry."

"Boys' or girls' bathrooms?" Ethan asked.

"It'd be unladylike for me to tell," she said, putting her index finger to her lips.

"She's not serious, Ethan," Benny explained to Ethan's slightly frightened face.

Ethan gave a nervous chuckle, looking at his wristwatch before mumbling something about having to borrow a pen from Rory and making a hasty escape.

"Well, at least I've made a good impression upon him," Fayette laughed.

"He's just fidgety. Anyway, I was wondering, what flower should I get for your corsage?"

She stepped a little closer to him, to avoid nearly getting bumped into by a girl rushing to class. "Well, we could always go for the obvious daisy...But I'm thinking purple dendrobium orchids."

"I didn't realize you were a horticulturist," Benny remarked.

"I appreciate flowers and their beauty. Sue me," she said, smirking.

"Not even during our divorce."

"Aw, but I had such faith in us. And our wedding was so lovely!"

Benny sighed and conceded,"Yeah, I suppose I had a lousy comeback. See you in class later?"

The bell rang just as he said that, and Benny turned towards Fayette, who decided to say in response, "Did Mario love Peach?"

"That's questionable."

Fayette frowned. "I should've just stuck with saying 'yes'. Let's just pretend I said something witty. All right, see you in science."

As she left to go to her class, Benny noticed how light on her feet she was, walking away with a grace he hadn't paid attention to prior. Just before she could be too far out of sight, he also spotted two tiny, white scars between her shoulder blades.

* * *

><p>"Please tell me you found out any more about angels and the possibility that Fayette is one?" Benny asked Sarah later in the day at lunch.<p>

Sarah turned a page in her book before responding. "You do realize we got ambushed last night? I didn't go home and think, 'Huh, I should probably do more research on the matter.' I was a little freaked out."

Benny put his hands up in defense. "My apologies. Sincerely. I just hoped. And..." he brought his voice down to a whisper, "I saw the scars on Fayette's back like Ethan described."

At this, Sarah perked up slightly. "Really? Were they like, big scars?"

"No, probably no longer than the tip of my pinky, but they were visible. What is the likelihood that it's just coincidence?" Benny said, taking a seat beside her momentarily.

"Probably as slim as her scars. Okay, if I have time, I'll go over to Ethan's house tonight so we can do some research, but I'm a busy girl. I do have a life, you know."

Benny could've hugged Sarah. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver."

"On more than one occasion. But I hope we find something out."

"So who do you think Rowan is, exactly?"

Just the thought of him gave Sarah the creeps. "I don't know, but as a girl _and_ a vampire, I got some pretty bad vibes from him. Just be careful, okay? I can take care of myself, but I worry about you and Ethan."

"He's probably just some jealous ex-boyfriend, right?"

Sarah chose not to answer, knowing brutal honesty would just crush the poor boy. She didn't know what to think. She did, however, hope they found out something, and soon.

* * *

><p>Every day, Benny looked forward to science with Fayette, though he'd never admit it otherwise. He couldn't wait until she walked in, smelling of flowers, sitting behind him. Though he couldn't stare at her all throughout class like he wanted to, he felt goosebumps form along his skin at just her presence behind him. He smiled any time she spoke in class. And now that he knew more about her, he never wanted to stop finding out things. What made Fayette tick. What her favorite color was. Why she always wore dresses. What daisies <em>really<em> meant to her.

With her promise of seeing him later in class, Benny's disappointment upon her not walking in on this day was immense. Then he figured she just missed the bell. With each ticking minute, he wondered where she was, and why she hadn't come to the one class that she'd said to be in. The more he wondered, the more he worried. With worry came concern for her sake, and all of that turned into panic.

Fayette wouldn't just miss class. She was past the stages of avoiding Benny and playing games. He was taking her to the dance, for goodness' sake! Either she didn't want to see Benny for whatever reason or... The thought struck Benny, and he bolted from his seat without warning, and left the classroom to a confused look from his teacher.

Something was wrong.


	17. Chapter 17 Topsy Turvy

**Author's note: Hey everyone, I might not be updating as often as I was, because my laptop's battery needs replacing which I just can't afford for a while. Hopefully I'll be back to updating at least once a week, but bear with me, folks! This couldn't have come at a worse time, haha. Hope you enjoy the story. :)**

* * *

><p>Fayette left Benny that morning to go to her first class of the day, in a significantly better mood than she would have been in than if she hadn't seen him. Something about the clumsy boy with the cheesy lines and the wide smile just made her giddy. She'd liked boys before, sure. She got the occasional butterfly in her stomach, the sweaty palms, and the racing heart. As dumb as it may have sounded, it all intensified around Benny.<p>

She walked to class, not even realizing a broad smile splayed across her face, when an all too familiar voice broke the little bubble of her happy thoughts. "Someone's in a good mood."

Turning her head so quickly she almost gave herself whiplash, Fayette looked upon the one face she did not want to see. Leaning against the wall, there the slender boy with the russet colored hair stood, a sneer across his otherwise handsome face.

"Rowan." Though her voice only come out in a whisper, it was full of hatred and anger, but not fear. She would never fear this boy. "You can't be here."

"Oh, sweetie. Your little daisy charms can't protect you forever. We're growing stronger every day, and your time is nearly up." Rowan, though feet away from her, circled around her.

Fayette gave him a dirty look. "And yet you still can't come within three feet of me. I'm terrified, really. I'm trying to live a normal life here, so if you could scurry off to the forest, have your tea party with the squirrels, and leave me be, that'd be fantastic."

Rowan snickered, watching as students passed him by without a second glance, as if he didn't even exist. "I could take you away from here right now, and no one would even know or care. You don't belong with these people, Fay."

"Don't call me that. And I know one person who would care."

"Aw, your little boyfriend, Benny Bear?" Rowan rested his hand upon his cheek, mocking Fayette. "Right, but even he doesn't know your little secret. In a week, he'd forget you even existed. You know, just associating yourself with him puts him in so much danger. He's being watched."

Fayette started to walk away, down the now-empty hallway.

"You either come with me, or he gets hurt."

At that, she stopped in her tracks. Rowan smiled, feeling as though he won. Fayette walked back towards him, three feet away, reaching into the pocket of her dress. Something crushed and red was in her hand, which she blew in Rowan's direction.

He immediately felt the effects and shouted, "Crushed poppy petals? Oh, you clever little girl...but you're not safe for long, Fay." Before disappearing, his green eyes flashed red.

Once he had gone, Fayette knew it wouldn't be safe to be around this school. She didn't want any harm to come to Benny. So she had to do the one thing she tried doing the first day she'd known him... Disappear.

* * *

><p><em>Later<em>

Fayette watched Benny leave the class, following after him. He stepped out of the room, in a hurry to nowhere in particular.

"Where are you going?" she asked, positive he couldn't hear her in this state.

Benny stopped what he was doing and turned. "Fayette?"

She froze. How did he hear her? Scrunching her eyes up, she decided to make herself visible.

Taking Benny by total surprise, Fayette had to rush to cover his mouth before he screamed.

"Calm down. Walk with me, and I promise to explain. But you can _not_ panic, and you definitely can't scream in the middle of school. Got it?" she said, still holding her hand over his mouth.

His wide eyes softened as he nodded. Removing her hand, Fayette led him out of the doors of the school, unprepared to reveal herself to this boy she'd only known for a while, but aware that was her only viable option.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Benny anywhere?" Ethan asked Sarah after school by her locker. "I texted him, but he hasn't responded yet."<p>

"Last time I saw him was during lunch when..." Sarah remembered her discussion with Benny, and covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh, no. It completely slipped my mind. You know those scars that you saw on Fayette's back in your vision?"

Ethan leaned his body against the wall, nodding.

"Well, Benny saw them on her today. He wants us to try doing some more research tonight. So my guess is he left early to do some of his own, or he's off doing Benny things."

"Should we go now?"

"Yeah, let me just grab my homework so I can do it at your house," Sarah said, closing her locker door and hoisting her bag onto her shoulder.


	18. Chapter 18 Starlight

**Author's note: Hey, everyone. Sorry it took much longer than usual for this chapter. I promise this wasn't some ruse to draw out Fayette's identity. It just came at a really inconvenient time, because apparently I'm going to need a new laptop. Before I published chapter 16, I'd written up to chapter 34 (towards the end of this fanfic) and had saved up to chapter 30 to this site. I don't know when or if I'm getting my laptop back, soo it may still be a while before I publish another chapter, and I may need to rewrite a lot of the last few chapters up until the end. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story though, because I've put a lot into it and have tried to make it an interesting read. All right, I've said enough. Again, thank you all, and feedback is always appreciated. :)**

* * *

><p>"You've been stalling for like, ten minutes," Benny pointed out, walking beside Fayette on a sidewalk through town.<p>

"No, I've been leading you somewhere. In silence."

"Silence and I aren't exactly friends. So let's try talking just a little? I'll go first. So today, I found out the girl I like can turn invisible, and likes to demonstrate this in the middle of my high school hallway. How was your day?" he said sarcastically.

"Well, today I was visited by my evil ex-boyfriend and threatened, so the only way I could protect the guy I like was by trying to disappear. When that didn't work out, he made me feel bad about myself as I tried to take him to my house." Benny closed his mouth, looking ashamed. "That shut you up."

"I'm sorry," he finally confessed to his outburst. "I'm just a smidge confused."

"Yes, well, that smidge is about to become oodles," Fayette sighed, digging her hands into her pockets and frowning.

Benny glanced over at her, feeling bad about getting angry, but curious about one thing she had said. "So, you like me back?" he asked, averting his eyes away from her.

Fayette made a noise of disbelief. "Naturally, that would be the only part of that speech that you would focus on."

They were quiet for another few minutes before Benny finally whispered, "Would you rather walk in silence or kick Benny?"

"Kick Benny. BUT that's only because I can't stand walking without talking to you anymore. It's not because I'm mad at you. I'm sorry, too, for scaring you earlier."

"Don't worry about it. I just thought...when you weren't in class...that..."

"That, what?"

Benny's cheeks flushed, embarrassed to continue. "That something had happened."

Fayette's mouth turned up at the sides. Realizing this made Benny uncomfortable, she decided to change the subject. "Would you rather be Dumbledore or Gandalf?"

"Are you kidding? Gandalf! No competition. However, Dumbledore did have some mad wizard skills."

"So says the SpellMaster. I would've chosen Dumbledore regardless," she said smiling. "But anyway, we're here now."

Fayette gestured to a massive, two-story Victorian house in front of them, that looked more like a castle than a house nestled in the woods. Painted a light blue with white shutters, it had one turret on the second story with a spire coming to a dangerous point. The stairs leading up to the front door wrapped around to the front porch, where two rocking chairs and a hammock sat.

Benny looked up to see a balcony wrap around the second story where it met the turret, with pots of daisies hanging from the edge of the white balcony. The house was about ten yards away from the vast forest and a huge garden in the backyard. No matter where anyone went near this house, they wouldn't be able to escape plants, he noticed.

Walking through the front door, Benny was engulfed by the scent of flowers that he'd come to associate with Fayette. The interior was just as magnificent as the outside, decorated to the tee with colorful, expensive furniture and decor.

Fayette led him to a spiral wooden staircase, trudging upwards to the second story. There, it seemed to be another world entirely from the rest of the house. The walls had been covered in bright, multi-colored quotes and white outlines of flowers. The door at the end of the hallway was painted lavender, with a doorknob shaped like a daisy.

She opened the door, and Benny was stunned to find out that _this_ room belonged to Fayette. It didn't look like a typical girl's room. The ceiling had been made to resemble the night sky, with tiny little lights to simulate the stars. The walls gleamed silver and a deep blue, pasted with black and white pictures from cities all over the world. A four poster bed sat in the very center of the room, draped with sheer, silver fabric over the top and sides of the posts. A desk sat in the corner by the door, while a nook by the window held a cupboard full of books. The window opened out to the balcony Benny had spotted earlier.

Fayette's closet door was open, revealing tons of dresses and even more books. She didn't have a television, or any pictures of herself. A mess simply didn't exist in any corner of her room. But the thing that Benny found most surprising, was that he expected her room to be full of color and vibrance, much like herself.

"Every inch of this house is blinding with color," Benny observed. "I walked through your living room thinking I'd need sunglasses. The door leading to your room is even purple! But I come in here, and the only color I find are the covers of your books and your dresses."

Fayette sat on the edge of her bed, her feet dangling over the carpet. "When I come in here, I feel calm. Like the whole house is just screaming with color, but I come in here, and look at the fake night sky, curl into a book, and just relax."

Seeing Benny stand in her doorway awkwardly, she patted the spot beside her on the bed. "You can either sit here or at my desk. Either way, I'm not gonna disappear again."

Though he kind of wanted to take a spin in her desk chair, Benny decided to sit next to Fayette instead. Her bed was soft and comfy, and he nearly sank in.

"I know what you are," Benny said.

"You didn't say who," Fayette noted.

"You're an angel."

She couldn't help but laugh, until she saw how serious Benny looked. "Oh, goodness. You're serious." Putting her hand around the bedpost, she swivelled herself until she faced him. "No, oh, gosh. I'm not an angel." Fayette had to cover her mouth from another giggle. "It's not funny, I'm sorry."

"You keep laughing."

"Just because I can't believe you thought I was..._good_ enough to be an angel. Benny, please tell me why you thought that."

"When you dropped your books around Ethan, he accidentally touched your hand and got a vision-"

"Wait, he got a vision?" she cut in.

"Yeah, Ethan's a Seer."

"You weren't kidding when you said this town is full of weird. Continue, please."

"Well, he said you had wings. And then I jumped to my own conclusions about you saving me, and calling yourself my guardian angel, and putting your number in my phone as the one to Heaven."

"Benny, I thought you knew by now not to take me too seriously. That whole angel business, I was just kidding. I mean, I was trying to flirt, really. Not trying to drop clues."

"So you don't have wings?"

Fayette sucked in some air, her green eyes searching his. "I'm not an angel, but I do have wings."

"How?"

Scooting closer to Benny until they weren't but a few inches apart, Fayette bunched up some of her blankets in her hand. "Honestly, I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you, but we've come this far..."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"That's the problem, though. Nothing about you is safe with me. Rowan could find a way to get to you." Benny's hand nearly touched hers, and she gazed over at it.

His face had gotten closer to hers. They'd found themselves right back in the position they were in the bookstore a few nights ago. Their faces edging nearer, about to kiss. Benny placed his hand on the back of Fayette's neck, and she suddenly spoke. "I can't kiss you."

"Why not?"

"I should explain first."

"I should probably move my face away from yours now, huh?"

"That might help with my concentration, because right now I'm a little foggy."

Benny went back to his spot on the bed, while Fayette inched herself back towards the opposite bedpost. They both sighed at the same time, not daring to look at the other.

"All right. Let me explain," she said, sounding a little out of breath. "Give me a minute."

"Have I taken your breath away?" Benny smirked, still not looking at her.

Fayette shoved him in the arm playfully. "Whatever, I thought your heart was about to pound out of your chest like a cartoon. But in all seriousness... All right. Let me tell you about Rowan first." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Rowan Hawthorn comes from a long line of royalty. His parents, King Oren and Queen Alona, are the rulers of the Treefolk."

"You're a _tree_?" Benny practically shouted.

"Gosh, no. Quit jumping the gun. It's a good thing I'm not though, or I'd be offended. Anyway, as I was saying, Rowan and his parents are royalty in the Treefolk community. The forest behind my house is full of Treefolk that can't leave. Only the most powerful can completely uproot and take human form, without having to stay too close to the forest. That would be Rowan and his family. Treefolk generally grow in the center of a fairy ring, so it's a standing tradition that the first son of the Treefolk marries the first daughter of the pixies. Generally, the remaining children can choose to marry someone else, and be rulers of their respective kingdoms. That way, the two are always harmoniously linked, but still have rulers of their own. Now, the rulers of the pixies, King Elwin and Queen Cliona, had set up for their daughter to marry Rowan. That was before finding out he was malevolent and cruel, only looking to become ruler to set the Treefolk free. Since the initial High Rulers of the Treefolk and the pixies had passed on, the two kingdoms were heavily relying on Rowan and the princess to be married, to unite the kingdoms once more. Now that the princess has seen Rowan unfit to marry, the two are at war. Either the princess caves in, causing mayhem between the supernatural and the human worlds, or Rowan is defeated and the two kingdoms will no longer depend on each other. Benny, that pixie princess is me."


	19. Ch 19 We Found Each Other In The Dark

**Author's note: AH! So, hello, again... Yes, it has been a while, but given the situation about my computer, I honestly thought I'd be finished with this story by now and instead I've made no progress past chapter 30-whatsit. So, hopefully in the next 2 weeks, I'll be getting a new laptop, and FINGERS CROSSED, the other chapters I'd written will have been saved. However, if that's not the case, I'll have to rewrite and then complete it all, which may take some more time. Gosh, I know, it's annoying even myself! SO please try to bear with me, and I hope you enjoy the story! :)**

* * *

><p>"Ethan, I think you should come in here and see this!" Sarah shouted from his computer desk.<p>

Ethan had left the room momentarily to grab a drink for himself, while the two had been working for a few hours on angel research. They started right after school, with Ethan leading the research as Sarah finished up her homework. Once that had been completed, the two sat together at the desk, one flipping through books as another surfed the internet.

Finally, Sarah was convinced she'd found something legitimate. Ethan entered the room with a can of soda, setting it down on the desk in front of Sarah. His arm rested on her chair, his face next to hers looking at the computer.

"What did you find?" he asked.

Sarah found herself a little distracted by the distance between herself and Ethan. "Um, well when I searched for 'iridescent wings', instead of angels, the first thing that popped up was this stuff about fairies. Here, read this. _'Some believe fairies to be fallen angels, with their most noticeable difference being iridescent wings. Most fairies in myth have been known to protect, and hail from, forests. They are usually beautiful and exotic looking, with strange colored eyes and pale skin. They have innumerous abilities ranging from invisibility, to dexterity, and an affinity for flowers and plants.'_"

Ethan glanced down towards Sarah, who had turned in her chair to face him. "I think we may finally be onto something."

Her hand, placed on the back of the chair, accidentally grazed his hand. They stared at each other for a long moment, as Sarah took in things she hadn't noticed about him before. The way the light hit his eyes, making them glint. The little freckle on his cheek. Was that a little more muscle tone in his arm?

Ethan's phone started going off on the table in front of them, and they both jumped with a start. Benny had finally texted back. "Oh, no, just text me five hours later. No big deal," Ethan said to his phone, perturbed.

Reading the text, his attitude shifted from annoyance to shock. "Well, it seems Benny's been doing some research of his own," he said, showing Sarah the text.

* * *

><p><em>Earlier<em>

"So let me get this straight," Benny finally said, after about two minutes of just gaping at Fayette. "You're not an angel? But you _are_ a pixie?"

She nodded solemnly, as if the news was going to shock him. "Do you even know what _Fayette_ means?...'Little fairy'."

"So, a pixie or a fairy?"

"Honestly, it's all the same. Some of us prefer being called pixies, some prefer fairies. There's this bunch that I know that even call themselves the Winged Elf Bunch. WEB for short."

"And the pixie haircut...?"

"No. Truthfully, I just liked the irony. Or coincidence. Or...whatever."

"So, let me relay this back to you. You can turn invisible. You are Princess Fayette of the pixies, betrothed to Prince Rowan of the Treefolk. Rowan is evil, trying to set free a bunch of tree people. You're_ not_ evil, trying to protect your future kingdom and all humanity. And the moral of this story is, you attend high school and cannot kiss me." He said the last bit slowly, as if trying to make a point.

"At least you noticed the finer points of my..._fairy_...tale," Fayette giggled, winking.

"I think you just out-cheesed me. But really, why _do_ you go to school?"

Fayette shrugged, her attention suddenly very focused on the fabric of her bedpost. She twirled it in her fingers, before answering. "As the first daughter, I have a choice. Give my title over to one of my younger siblings and be free, or marry Rowan and never be a part of the human world. If I don't marry Rowan, though, I'm disappointing my kingdom, who for centuries have relied on the Treefolk, just as they've relied on us. And if I can't be a part of the human world, which I've grown up loving, I just know a part of me would regret it forever. All these places on my wall that I've always wanted to visit would just remain pictures taken by someone else of their memories there."

"So you have younger siblings?"

"Yeah, a brother and a sister. They live in the rooms down the hall. Sometimes I feel like I'm too young to be making these decisions for them, but my sister has always wanted to be queen. And my brother already has it in him to be High Ruler, if he needs to be. Wow, I feel like I'm even boring myself talking about this."

"No, it's not boring. But I have to ask, is it safe for me to tell Ethan at least?"

Fayette smiled. "Considering he already half knows, yes. Do you wanna get out of here?"

"Right after I text Ethan."

* * *

><p>"Benny says Fayette's going to come over tomorrow night while you're babysitting. He says she trusts us, which is good. I just can't believe we spent so much time tonight doing all this research, when he was being told everything directly from her."<p>

"Yeah, and it'll give us all some time to get to know the girl Benny has been falling for," Sarah said smiling.

"At least one of us is having luck in the love department," Ethan said without thinking.

Sarah gulped, unsure why that statement even made her react. Was that jealousy? Hurt? Anger? She couldn't quite comprehend what she felt, but it didn't make her feel too great.

"I should probably go... It's, um...getting kind of late..." She grabbed her bag from the bed, avoiding his eyes as she tried to leave the room.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Why is that?" Her back was turned to him as she stood near the doorway.

"Because it's Friday," Ethan chuckled. "You should be used to the routine by now."

"Yeah, well, see you then."

"Is everything okay?" Ethan asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. She brushed him off.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Sarah left the house in a huff, wondering why on Earth she was so mad. It honestly didn't make any sense to her. That comment Ethan made about love. What did he even mean by that? She rolled her eyes just thinking about it. Not even paying attention to where she walked, she nearly ran right into someone. A certain tall, slender someone who she did not want to be running into late at night, or any time of the day, for that matter.


	20. Chapter 20 You Picked Me

**Author's note: Okay, even I'm sick of having to put an author's note at this point. BUT, I can say with every confidence that I am definitely getting a new laptop in a matter of days, then we will find out if the lost chapters will be recovered, and hopefully I can get a move on with this story. I'm also taking part in NaNoWriMo, so that may hinder my writing a smidge on this story. (But if the chapters are on my old laptop, we'll be fine.) Okay, so I've really been looking forward to posting this chapter. Hope everyone else enjoys. :)**

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><p>Reaching her hand towards her back pocket, she touched a few buttons blindly on her phone, hoping more than anything she'd just punched in the right numbers for a certain someone on her speed dial.<p>

"What are you doing here, Rowan?" Sarah said through gritted teeth.

"It seems my message didn't quite get through the other night. I told you to tell Benny to stay away."

"What can I say, he's stubborn. Maybe I also didn't really see why I should tell him to stay away when you're not giving me any reason." She lurched forward, placing her arms on Rowan's chest to knock him over, but he was much stronger than she anticipated.

"I could give you plenty reason. That little boyfriend of yours? You don't want to see anything happen to him, now do you?" He held onto her forearms, taking a strand of hair that hung past her face and twirling it between his fingers.

At that, Sarah punched him in the face, causing him to go off balance. Within seconds, Erica appeared, kicking Rowan in the gut. "Looks like you called in the cavalry," Rowan spat, clutching his jaw as he lay across the pavement.

"I have no idea who you are, but I don't really care. You mess with my best friend, and you're going to get hurt," Erica said, swishing her hair out of her face.

"And you will suffer the consequences," Rowan said to Sarah, before he seemed to vanish into thin air.

Erica glanced over at Sarah. "You butt dialed me?"

"Thank goodness it was you and not the pizza place," she said, rubbing her elbow from where Rowan held it. "Thank you. He's much stronger than I thought he'd be."

"Well, if you're okay, I'm gonna get back to my date. Third one this week." Erica stuck her fangs out, and winked. "You will be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna hurry home, and I'll text you to let you know I've made it home safely."

Erica dashed off at that statement, leaving Sarah to her own devices.

* * *

><p>Friday at school passed without anything unusual. Even Rory getting turned down by Erica for the thirtieth time didn't cause quite the laugh from Benny as it usually did.<p>

What everyone seemed to be looking forward to was Friday night at Ethan's house. No matter how much it killed Sarah to admit it to herself, even she couldn't wait until she arrived at the place she'd spent so much time lately, with the boy she'd become so used to being around.

Fayette was actually a bit nervous, never having been around Benny's friends before, let alone humans who knew what she actually was.

"You'll be fine. They'll love you," Benny said reassuringly at Ethan's doorstep that night.

"I feel like I'm meeting the parents," she said, tugging at the hem of her dress. "Is my dress too wrinkled? Should I go home and change?"

"You could always take it off," Benny said, unable to control himself.

Fayette punched him in the arm. "You're not helping. I doubt I'd impress them much if I was naked." Benny opened his mouth, but Fayette punched his arm again."Don't say it."

"Ow! You know, you punch hard for a little thing." Rubbing his arm, he quickly added, "That was a compliment! And I wasn't going to say anything."

Fayette pointed her finger at him, her eyebrows raised. "Don't lie to me, now. And is Ethan ever going to answer his door? We've been out here for like five minutes."

"I didn't ring the doorbell."

"Wha- Seriously?"

"Don't punch me again! We'll just walk in," Benny said, turning the doorknob and side-stepping into the house so as not to be hit.

"I wasn't going to punch you. Gosh, I'm not violent. Great, your friends are gonna think I'm some sort of crazy fairy with a history in boxing. Noodle arms," she said, grabbing Benny's forearm and kissing it where she hit him. "Better?"

"Did my noodle arms taste like noodles?"

Fayette smacked her lips. "Like noodles and chapstick." Benny gave her a weird look, so she added. "_My_ chapstick, Benny Noodles. Are they upstairs?"

Benny saw Jane sitting on the couch by herself, so he said, "I'm assuming. Shall we?" He outstretched his arm for her to take his hand, which she did gladly.

They walked up the stairs together, both very happy with all nerves left at the door. Ethan's bedroom door was closed. Benny opened it, before quickly closing it.

"Um. I probably should've knocked," Benny announced to Fayette, a smile spreading across his face. Fayette knew this look. He was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

Suddenly, the door opened and the guilty faces of both Ethan and Sarah appeared at the doorway.

* * *

><p><em>Earlier<em>

Sarah trudged up Ethan's front steps, a tiny bit worried about the night. Lately, she couldn't stop thinking about Ethan in a way she'd never thought about him before. The way he'd no longer looked like the little boy she'd met so long ago, but instead like a young man. How he'd gotten protective of her, like he was scared for her when he should've been scared for himself. How he started saying more how he felt, instead of being a shy, awkward mess.

It felt as if she had, somewhere along the way, developed feelings for Ethan. Something had shifted and changed. She'd reached the conclusion that he'd just grown up a bit, and he no longer felt uncomfortable around her. She liked that. Did that mean she liked _him_?

She rang the doorbell, and Ethan's parents answered, all dressed up for the night's activities. "Sarah! Right on time. Thank you for babysitting for us tonight. We'll be back around midnight, if that's okay? Have Jane in bed by ten o'clock."

As she walked in, they quickly departed. Sarah looked at the clock in their living room. Seven o'clock on the dot. Jane sat on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a made-for-TV movie. "Hey, Jane, where's Ethan?"

"In his room. Wanna watch this movie with me?"

"I will in a minute. I've just gotta let him know I'm here first."

Sarah made her way upstairs to Ethan's room, where his door was closed. Knocking, she said, "It's Sarah. Can I come in?"

The door opened, revealing Ethan, who beckoned her in.

"Can we talk?" Ethan asked, sitting on his bed.

Sarah nodded, sitting at his desk chair. "What about?

"The other night, you seemed mad at me. And today, at school, you just kinda acted standoffish. Did I do something?"

Sarah sighed. "No, I mean, your whole 'At least one of us is having luck in the love department' business did make me a bit angry-"

"Why?" Ethan looked genuinely concerned.

"I don't know why! I don't know what's going on. It's like one minute, you're Ethan, and the next, you're _Ethan._"

"Oh, well I'm glad you cleared that up. That potentially could've been confusing," Ethan remarked sarcastically.

"Ugh! No, I mean, something's changed, and I don't know what. And you're different, but you're not. And I don't know! It's frustrating, but I think I might, maybe, kinda, have feelings for you. And I don't know what to do about it-" At about the point where Sarah said she'd liked Ethan, he got up from his bed, strode over to where she was sitting in the chair, and cupped her chin up towards him, kissing her.

Suddenly, they heard the door open behind them and jumped as it closed again abruptly.

"Oh, I think we've been seen," Ethan said, his hand still on Sarah's chin.

Sarah opened her eyes slowly, looking at the face right above hers. "That'll make this easier to explain, then," she laughed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving her chair and leading Ethan to his door.


	21. Chapter 21 Kiss Me Slowly

**Author's note: Well, folks, I finally have a new laptop! Hopefully soon I'll know if my old files for this story are saved, and if not, I will just have to re-write after chapter 30. But soon we'll be done with all this silly "author's note" nonsense at the beginning of each chapter, and we can go back to good old MBAV fanfic fun. Sound good? :)**

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><p>Opening the door, they saw Benny's smug face and Fayette's confused one staring back at them.<p>

"Hey there, lovebirds," Benny cooed, pinching Ethan's cheek.

"Oh, shut up. You could've knocked," Sarah pointed out.

"Well I was unaware that you two were canoodling," Benny said, moving the two swiftly aside and jumping on Ethan's bed.

"What is it with you and that word? Who actually 'canoodles'?" Ethan said, moving Benny's feet off of his comforter.

"No one," Fayette added, stepping cautiously into the room.

"See? Even Fayette agrees," Sarah said, smiling at the other girl.

"But you two were kissing. You can't hide that forever." Benny leaned back on the bed, placing his hands behind his head. "Fayette, come on in. They won't attack you." He winked, nodding his head towards the end of the bed for her to sit.

Fayette, who still stood a little shyly by the doorway, took a few steps in before sitting down at the edge of the bed with Benny.

"Yes, we kissed," Ethan acknowledged, while Sarah closed the door and heaved herself onto the desktop beside Ethan, who lounged in the desk chair.

"But who was the initiator?" Benny asked, the smile across his face having not faded since he entered the room.

Sarah pointed over at Ethan. "I never thought he'd have the guts," she admitted, smiling nonetheless. "But can we not talk about this? Jane's downstairs by herself. I need to do my job and babysit her. You two can sit up here and gossip all you want. Fayette, you want to come help me make something to eat?"

Fayette perked up at the idea of some girl time, never really having many friends. Benny nudged her side with his foot, indicating she could go on. She turned back to him, untied his shoelace, and then skipped out of the room after Sarah.

"That girl wants me to trip and die," Benny claimed, staring wistfully after where she left. "Now that our ladies have left, you'll have to spill the beans, Ethan."

* * *

><p>"So you're Benny's girlfriend?" Jane asked Fayette, while the three girls stood in Ethan's kitchen, preparing to make dinner.<p>

Fayette was in charge of the dinner rolls in the oven, while Sarah monitored the boiling pot of water that the spaghetti would go in. Jane was in the process of setting the dinner table when she blurted out that question.

Fayette exchanged a glance with Sarah, who simply smiled. "I guess I kind of am. I'm not sure if it's official yet or not," Fayette responded, playing with the oven mitt on her hand.

"Why would you date Benny?" Jane asked.

"Jane!" Sarah scolded.

Fayette just laughed. "No, it's okay. Why do you ask?"

"I think you're too pretty for him."

Fayette patted Jane on the shoulder. "You'll come to find out there's no such thing. I actually think Benny's handsome, and he's got a good heart. When you grow up and try to find a boyfriend, make sure to find one as decent as he is. Maybe one with better pick-up lines, but you can't be so picky."

Sarah laughed, stirring the pot of sauce. "Boys are icky," Jane added, going back to the table to set the silverware down.

Fayette went over to the counter by the stove and leaned her back against it, while Sarah looked over at her inquisitively. Though this was only officially her first time meeting Fayette, she already liked her. She didn't try too hard, and she really did seem to like Benny for the weird individual he was.

"I felt a bit awkward earlier when Benny and I kind of barged in," Fayette admitted.

"By, 'Benny and I', I hope you mean 'just Benny', because you didn't do anything," Sarah said, laughing. "And don't worry about it. He's a dork. It's like he gets anywhere near displays of affection, and his inner toddler makes an appearance. I will never understand his love for the word 'canoodles'."

"I think he just likes saying 'noodles'. Gosh, wait until I tell you about this line he tried to use on me the other day. I walked him home and just out of nowhere, he turned to me and said, 'You must be the square root of 2 cause I feel irrational around you.' And he tried to say it in this really deep voice. I was like, Benny, you use pick-up lines when you're trying to get the girl, not when you've already taken her on a date." Sarah and Fayette started laughing, with Jane just shaking her head as she stood near the dinner table.

Ethan and Benny entered the kitchen, with the latter saying, "Been talking about us?"

At that, Fayette and Sarah looked at each other, bursting even more into laughter.

"I'm not sure I wanna know," Ethan muttered to a confused Benny.

Fayette, still laughing as Benny approached her, nearly slipped on water. The boiling pot started to flow over the lid, dripping down to the floor. Sarah immediately turned the oven down, but not before accidentally bumping into Fayette, who grabbed Benny's hand for support, but ended up taking him down with her.

Fayette's back was on the ground and covered in water, with Benny squashing her, who had landed on top of her. She grabbed his shoulders while he tried to push himself up. She still had the oven mitt on her right hand as the timer went off for the dinner rolls.

"I should probably get those," she said, laughing.

Benny finally got up, holding his hand out to help Fayette from the ground. "Oh, my dress has water all down the back."

"Ethan, do you have anything she could borrow while we put her dress in the dryer?" Sarah asked, taking the oven mitt from Fayette so she could take the dinner rolls out.

"Yeah, I'll go get a t-shirt and some pajama bottoms. Is that okay?"

Fayette nodded, as Ethan left to go upstairs while Benny just glanced down at her, smirking. "What?" she asked.

"If I say it, you'll punch me."

She gave out a chuckle. "No, I won't. Say it."

He paused, before snickering. "You're taking your dress off."

Fayette dipped her finger in the spaghetti sauce and drew a mustache on Benny. "I think you deserve that much," she countered, smiling mischievously.

Ethan returned with a blue shirt and plaid PJ pants, handing them over to Fayette. He took one look at Benny and said, "That's the only mustache you're likely to ever have."

"Look who's talking," Benny replied, wiping the spaghetti sauce from above his lip, and smearing it on Fayette's cheek.

Her jaw dropped, and Benny just knew he was in trouble. "Bad move, Benjamin," she said, grabbing the jar of remaining sauce from the counter and setting the clothes down. Benny backed up, his hands up in defense.

"You might want to be careful where you point that thing, Miss Challacombe," Benny said, staring at the jar of sauce in her hand.

She approached him slowly, until he sped off in the opposite direction, with her chasing after him.

"Be careful, you two!" Ethan shouted. Turning to Sarah, he spoke, "They're going to ruin my house."

"She's smart enough to not spill it. If that jar was in Benny's hand, however, you'd have cause for concern," Sarah said, turning the stovetop off and pouring the bowl of spaghetti noodles and water over the colander in the sink.

Meanwhile, Fayette ran after Benny, who had taken refuge in Ethan's upstairs shower. He stood, cornered.

Fayette smiled, walking slowly towards him. "You should've stood by a priceless heirloom, or on top of an expensive rug. Not in the shower where I have _every_ reason to dump this on your head."

"I need to stop doing things the Benny way," he mumbled under his breath.

Stepping into the shower with him, she held the sauce slightly over his head. "Any last words?"

"I'm taking you with me," he said as she tipped the jar upside down. While the sauce poured, in one fluid motion, he pulled her in by her waist, getting sauce all over her in the process.

They stood there, in Ethan's shower with spaghetti sauce covering them head to toe. Fayette, reaching for a towel to wipe her eyes, placed the empty jar by the sink, with no further use for it.

Out of breath and laughing, Benny's hand, still around her waist, pulled her closer. While his other hand reached to the back of her neck, he pulled her up into a kiss.

Fayette stood on her tip toes, her hands clasped behind Benny's sauce-soaked back. With their eyes closed and their lips moving together, none were quite sure how long this went on for. Seconds, centuries, it was all a beautiful blur, until they heard a cough in the doorway to their right.

"I guess we're even," Ethan said, as he and Sarah stood there, arms crossed and smirking. "Just came to tell you dinner is ready. Make sure you two clean off my shower of all sauce."

Benny saluted as the two left him and Fayette standing there.

"I think I'm blushing. Is my face red?" Fayette joked.

"I'd say that kiss was quite...saucy. Wouldn't you?" Benny added, using his thumb to wipe away some sauce from Fayette's cheek.

Fayette poked him in the side, turning the water on above them. "Please tell me you have some sort of clean up spell in that book of yours?"

"I'll look after we soak for a second."

"Fully clothed, mister. It's like you've been trying to get me out of this dress all night."


	22. Chapter 22 Calm Before The Storm

**Author's note: Hey, guys. Remember me? Okay... I know. There is almost no excuse for my prolonged absence, EXCEPT bad news: The chapters I'd written long ago on my old laptop will not be recovered. So I've been trying to do a lot of rewriting, and I've also just been stupidly busy. But I'm going to try to do better. Bear with me, though. There won't be any more than fifty chapters, maybe looking at somewhere between forty and forty-five. So clearly I've got a lot of rewriting to do. Hope you enjoy the last half of the story, given how long it's taken me! And seriously, hopefully this is the last author's note for...forever. :)**

* * *

><p>Benny borrowed some clothes from Ethan, while Fayette put on the ones still sitting on the counter.<p>

Benny, having never seen Fayette in anything other than a dress, still found her just as beautiful in a baggy shirt and pajama pants. "What are you staring at?" Fayette asked, shaking the water from her short hair. "Did I miss a spot?"

"No, it's nothing," he said, smiling. She ruffled his wet hair, preferring to see it messy like it usually was.

Finally making their way downstairs, Ethan, Sarah, and Jane had eaten without them and were sitting on the couch catching the last few minutes of the movie Jane had been watching earlier in the night.

"Wow, these dinner rolls are quality," Benny quipped, taking a bite out of one. "I _wonder_ who made them."

"The bakery, but I take full credit for putting them in the oven at the precise temperature."

"I took them out!" Sarah shouted from the living room.

"THANK YOU!" Benny yelled back.

Fayette grinned, feeling surprisingly at home with these people. She'd never felt so normal, almost human.

* * *

><p>Once they'd finished eating, Benny and Fayette went over to the sofa with his Spell Book to see if there were any spells to take the spaghetti stains out of Fayette's dress. No amount of washing would do the trick, unfortunately.<p>

Sarah took Jane upstairs to get her ready for bed as it neared ten o'clock.

Flipping through the pages, Fayette suddenly stopped Benny. "Wait, go back a few pages. Yeah, right there."

Gently taking the book from Benny, she peered in closely at the words on the page.

"I can't read that," Benny observed.

"Of course you can't. It's...it's in my language." She sounded astonished, her eyes following the words, until finally, she dropped the book on the floor and put her hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" Benny asked, while Ethan sat up to see what was happening.

"I think...it's a prophecy," she said between her fingers.

"What does it say?"

Sarah made her way downstairs, unaware that she had missed something. "You will _not_ believe how spotless the shower-" She noticed the silence hanging in the room, and as she sat down beside Ethan, she continued, "What just happened?"

"Fayette found a prophecy in her language in my Spell Book," Benny explained.

"Let me read it to you," she said, picking Benny's book back up, flipping through the pages until she found the right one. She cleared her throat before continuing.

"_One wears the crown,_

_With a target upon her heart._

_One holds the bow and arrow,_

_To tear the kingdom apart._

_The final of the three_

_Holds the lock and the key._

_With lips no longer sealed_

_And wings that don't fly alone,_

_When blue lightning flashes,_

_The tree will turn to stone._"

If Sarah had thought she'd walked into piercing silence before, it was nothing compared to the dead air that followed. No one spoke for minutes.

"I'm confused," Ethan finally spoke up.

"So am I," Fayette admitted, closing the book and passing it over to Benny.

"What do you think it means?" Sarah asked.

Fayette, biting her lip, looked over to Benny. "Honestly, and this may sound crazy, I think it's about Rowan and myself, and apparently someone else. But I also think it's a way to defeat him without giving up the throne."

"Are you sure it's about you?" Benny said, placing his hand on top of hers.

"Just read between the lines of it. Also, in the history of the pixies and the Treefolk, there has _never_ been any strife, so it couldn't pertain to anyone of the past. It's in my language. It was in your book for me to see. I just really believe there aren't any coincidences in life, and this is too big to be overlooked."

Ethan got up from the sofa and searched through the nearby bookshelf. "I'll get some paper and a pen, and I want you to write this down so we can try to figure this out. Okay?" he said.

Fayette nodded, a whole new set of worries having just been added onto her plate.

* * *

><p>Benny held the piece of paper for what seemed to be ages. His face was crinkled in an expression of deep thought. Fayette studied him carefully, waiting to see what he had to say, finally, about his thoughts on the possible prophecy.<p>

He opened his mouth, and spoke. "Oh, that's an S. I thought it was the number 8."

"Are you kidding me?" Sarah exclaimed. "We waited all this time for you to say something, and it was you trying to figure out whether Fayette wrote down an S or an 8?"

"Why would I put a random number where a letter should go?" Fayette couldn't help but give a light laugh. "Is my handwriting that awful?"

"No, actually, I think your handwriting is pretty." Benny smiled, passing the sheet of paper over to her. "But yeah, I still can't really figure out what it means. I'm not a fan of poetry."

"Just because it rhymes doesn't mean it's poetry," Ethan interjected, taking the paper gently from Fayette's fingertips. "I think I've got it kind of figured out though."

Benny, Fayette, and Sarah all perked up at this news. "Explain it then!"

"It's not that simple. Just because we have the basic gist of it, doesn't necessarily mean we know how to defeat Rowan."

"It's gotta be a start though. Right?" Fayette added the last word hopefully.

Ethan gave her a reassuring look. "It's a start, yes. All right, I think we need a plan."


	23. Chapter 23 Falling Over Me

"I have a date to the dance," Benny relayed to Ethan, as they stood in front of the latter's bathroom mirror, just an hour before they were supposed to be met by Sarah and Fayette.

"That's the tenth time you've said that, in the past hour alone," Ethan reminded his friend, as he tried to tie his own tie.

"Because I'm pretty sure at some point, it will stop being true."

"Yes, and maybe if you begin the mantra that it will rain pickles, that will happen, too." Ethan rolled his eyes.

Benny, observing his friend, simply shook his head. "You worry me sometimes."

"Seriously? Do _you_ even hear _yourself_ when you talk?"

Looking almost thoughtful, he answered. "I'm not sure my ears would be able to handle so much suaveness. It's why I had to stop watching any movie with Sean Connery in it."

"Well, at least you just proved my point."

"Snippy," Benny said, looking at Ethan reproachfully. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"I don't wear panties..." Ethan muttered. "And it's just a big night. Sarah and I are kind of...something now. I don't fully know what, and I don't really know _why_. But regardless, I'm determined not to screw this up."

Benny clapped Ethan on the shoulder. "Let the expert give you some lady advice."

"Sure, just notify me when he arrives."

"Ha ha. How do you think I managed to snag Fayette?" Benny said, tugging on his jacket smugly.

"Either it was a fluke or you managed to really get on Aphrodite's good side. Look, I say we just try to make it through the night without stepping on our dates' toes, or spilling punch on their dresses. No over-thinking. Just fun. Deal?" Ethan stuck out his hand, which Benny ending up shaking in agreement.

"But for the record, you did wear panties that one time-"

"It was an accident!" He interjected, before muttering something that sounded like, "Laundry mix-up... Don't judge..."

* * *

><p>"They're here!" Jane's tiny voice echoed up the stairs, signalling for the boys to come downstairs to meet their dates.<p>

"Ready?" Ethan asked.

Benny nodded anxiously, never looking less ready in his life. "Hold my hand?"

"Oh, grow up," Ethan said, pushing Benny ahead of him down the stairs.

Doing his best to walk stoically, Benny grabbed the stair rail and walked slowly down the stairs. He would've walked the whole way down if the sight of Fayette hadn't stopped him midway. Seeing her standing by the front door next to Sarah, he took in everything about her.

Keeping her theme of flowers, a white delphinium garland adorned her short brown hair, that had tonight been curled loosely. Three strands of tiny pearls encircled her neck, but that was the only jewelry she chose to wear. Upon her feet were simple, light pink flats. If Benny had to guess, the rose in her cheeks, the curl of her eyelashes, and the sparkle in her skin was all natural. She even wore her favorite watermelon chapstick instead of lip gloss. (He could smell it from where he stood.)

But her _dress_. Benny saw every reason why it was the exact dress that Fayette would love, but he'd never imagined she could look so...stunning. It was strapless, showing off her soft shoulders and collarbone. It was a rosy pink from her chest to her waist, turning to a creamy ivory until it hit her ankles, where it stopped at a soft lavender. The mesh ruffled in tiers, from tiny little ruffles in the pink, to bigger ruffles down to the skirt. Elegant, and understated.

"Has my handsome Prince forgotten how to descend stairs?" Fayette's voice broke through Benny's thoughts, causing him to blink stupidly.

"Sorry, I just... um..." He continued walking down the stairs, trying to gather the exact words he wanted to say. Reaching her finally, he spoke. "I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone more gorgeous, and I likely never will again, my Princess." Winking, he bowed.

Fayette touched her hand to her cheek. "Thou hast stolen my heart."

"Oh, I was referring to my reflection in the mirror, but you look okay, I guess." Benny grinned, teasing.

Fayette couldn't contain her laugh. Straightening his tie, she said, "In that case, I'd like my heart back. You know you look dapper and quite attractive yourself, sir. If you'd have given me time to say so." Taking the purple dendrobium orchid boutonniere and pinning it to his jacket, Fayette smiled. "Sorry it's no purple tux, but I hope this is okay."

"Speaking of which, your dress...? It's not black and white," Benny joked, gesturing towards her attire.

She touched her nose with her forefinger lightly. "Guess I didn't get the memo. My corsage?"

Benny reached on the table near him, opening the box and taking out her corsage to be placed on her wrist. Fumbling, it fell to the ground while both Benny and Fayette reached for it, bumping heads.

"Ow," they said in unison.

Sarah and Ethan, who had beforehand been having their own conversation, gazed over at the two holding the hurt spots on their heads.

"You two were practically made for each other," Sarah said, laughing.

"Don't put me in the same category as Sir Hurts-A-Lot over here." Fayette jabbed her thumb in the direction of Benny.

"Sorry I wasn't raised like a princess," he said, sticking his tongue out playfully.

"Frankly, I'm glad you weren't raised like a princess. You'd look terrible in a dress."

Ethan, remembering a time Benny and he had to dress up like cheerleaders, opened his mouth to speak. Benny, as though knowing what his friend was about to say, stepped on his friend's foot and gave him a look before whispering, "Panties."

With that one word and their conversation earlier in the night, Ethan checked his watch and announced, "Wow, look at the time! We should be going." Linking his arm around Sarah's waist, he led her out the front door.

Benny, with the corsage still in his hand, tied the ribbon around Fayette's wrist. She looked at it proudly.

"Ready to dance?" He asked, holding his hand out for her as Sarah honked the car horn. "Not here, clearly. I meant, ready to go to the dance... The dance, where we will dance... You know, this is the third head injury in the past week. I'm surprised I'm even speaking English."

"Well, we already got tonight's first injury out of the way. If I don't come home without at least a few bandages or maybe even a broken toe, I'd feel a bit like tonight was unsuccessful," she said, taking his hand and walking out of the door with him.

"Do you doubt my dancing abilities?"

"Yes. Don't take offense, though. I doubt mine, too. We could be wallflowers all night if you want," Fayette offered.

"Stand by the punch bowl and make eye contact without actually speaking?"

"Oh, and we should also stand awkwardly far apart from each other."

"And then when I finally pluck up the courage to ask you to dance, I'll accidentally knock over the punch bowl."

"Actually, that _does_ sound like something you'd do."

"I'm not clumsy!" he said, opening Sarah's car door for her.

Fayette smiled, sidling into the backseat of the car. "I'm going to need proof of that."

Benny shut the door, and walked to the other side to sit next to Fayette.

"Are we ready?" Sarah asked from the driver's seat.

Everyone answered in the affirmative, causing Sarah to push her foot lightly on the gas pedal.

Sneaking a glance over at his date, Benny couldn't help but grin. He didn't see the pixie with an evil ex-boyfriend. He didn't see the princess with her whole kingdom relying on her. He didn't even see the mysterious girl that made him so shy for a whole week. He saw the girl with the white dress and the daisy in her hair, standing by her locker door. The girl who sat with him in his important place, the bookshop, and geeked out over comic books. The girl covered with spaghetti sauce in the shower, and the look on her face after they'd kissed.

Sliding his hand over to hers in the seat, he grabbed it and intertwined his fingers with hers. Fayette squeezed his hand gently, her hand warm against his.

The problem with things being so perfect was, they could never stay that way for very long.


	24. Chapter 24 Dance With Me

**Author's note: Wow. There's so many reasons why this has taken so long, and I just hope it isn't too little, too late. If you are still hoping for updates on this story, here you go. I'm going to do my best to wrap it up this summer. I can't apologize enough for why it has taken literally years to continue with this, and if you're still with me, I am going to do everything to make this story good for all of you! Did I mention I was sorry? Because my goodness, I am. Very sorry for making you wait, and possibly losing everyone's interest in this story. And if you're still with me, just let me know in the reviews. Thank you, everyone.**

They arrived at the dance about half an hour late, with most of the attendees already inside the hotel ballroom. Thanks to the raffle, the school could afford a better venue than the gymnasium. The hotel was old and on the outskirts of town, standing ominously on a hill overlooking a lake. Beside the lake was a gazebo, covered in fairy lights with a lantern trail leading towards it. Walking in, the ballroom was to the right of the hotel lobby. A balloon arch led them into the big room with high ceilings and stained glass windows.

Decor in black and white lined the walls, while music blared from the opposite end at the DJ's booth. To his right stood the snacks and punch bowl. The dance floor was massive, already full of bodies dressed in various black and white outfits. Walking in beneath the balloon archway, Fayette felt she stuck out like a sore thumb with her neither black nor white dress.

She clutched Benny's hand tighter, and he tried to hide his smile.

"Well, now what?" Ethan asked.

"We dance, of course," Benny said jubilantly.

"You're going to scare me on the dance floor, Mr. Weir," Fayette said, sidestepping so as to avoid a group of people walking in.

"I'm not clumsy!" Benny replied, stepping on two stray balloons and causing dozens of eyes to stare in his direction.

"Right. Those balloons just had a death wish, I assume?" Fayette smirked.

"Precisely. And my Genie-Feet just couldn't resist granting."

Fayette stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Dork. Sarah, want to go to the washroom?"

Sarah flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yes, I could fix my makeup. And since mirrors do nothing for me, I could use your help."

They walked off, leaving the two boys to their own devices. "What do they even do in there?" Ethan asked.

"They plot," Benny replied dramatically, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

When Sarah and Fayette came back, they found the boys by the punch bowl, standing awkwardly as a cheesy pop song played. Sarah led Ethan onto to the dance floor, to his dismay, while Fayette sidled over to Benny, knocking into him gently.

"Hey, you," she said.

"Who, me?"

"Yeah. Did you come here with a date, or are you flying solo tonight?"

Benny sighed theatrically. "Well, there was this girl, but she kind of ditched me."

Fayette clutched her hand to her heart. "What evil vixen would do such a thing to a handsome fellow as yourself?"

He shrugged, averting his eyes. "Alas, that is the question that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Fayette stood in front of Benny, grabbing him by his tie and pulling him closer to her. "Dance with me," she said, before kissing him softly on the cheek.

"I like this game."

"And he kills it."

"Sorry," he cleared his throat. "Of course I'll dance with you. On one condition."

She raised her eyebrows, twisting the fabric of his tie between her fingers. "Yes?"

Benny put his arms around her waist, picking her up lightly and setting her feet on his. "I do the leading."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, as he walked her towards the dance floor. "Oh, catch me! I'm swooning!"

Benny kissed her sweetly on the forehead, down to her nose, and finally on her lips. Pulling away momentarily, he looked into her eyes and smiled. "I can dance, you know."

Swaying to the music, she leaned her head against his chest and heard his heartbeat. "Still gonna need proof of that."

He lifted her from his feet and spun her around, leaning her back with one of his hands on her lower back, all while maintaining his other hand in hers.

"Point taken," she replied, sounding a little out of breath.

Benny laughed, bringing her back towards him. "I like you, Miss Fayette."

"And I do declare my affections for you are immense, Mister Benjamin," Fayette said in her best Southern belle accent.

"You're kind of a goof."

"Pot calling the kettle black, much?" she giggled.

"I'm not a goof!"

She reached up and patted him on the head. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Sarah and Ethan danced a few feet away from the pixie and the SpellMaster. Ethan wasn't nearly as surprisingly graceful as Benny, so Sarah did most of the leading. "They're so cute together," Sarah chimed in, looking at the pair of her friends. "Don't tell them I said that," she added warningly.

Ethan gave a small smile. "Your secret's safe with me."


End file.
